Steadfast
by Returntonormal
Summary: HIATUS! Haley and her grandmother made a promise to each other that lasted 11 years. After being apart for that long, they reunite the summer before college. When she visits NC she meets a boy, learns about old love, life and faith.
1. Prologue Leaving Town

A/N: Hey Readers! I decided to write a new story for you all. Have you all heard of the famous fairytale "Little Red Riding Hood"? Well that was the inspiration for this story. It's not going to be a **fantasy** and there will **not be a wolf **at all. So don't worry about that. This is definitely a Naley fic set in** reality**. I wanted to use the concept of that story for this one. You know a young girl with her grandmother and other stuff that I will not spoil you with. Hopefully you will get how I'm using that fairytale as my inspiration. I just tweeked it a little bit. Actually, I tweeked it a lot. :) I hope you enjoy the prologue.

_**Steadfast **_

**_

* * *

_**

_**Prologue// Leaving Town  
**_

I was the moon that graced the blue midnight sky. I was youth, perfect cheeks, and big brown eyes. I was the softness of the covers and the stitches of the fabric that held everything together. I was the harmony of an old folk song. She was the fragile ornament hanging on the Christmas tree. She was the rough hand that glided along the white keys of a piano. She was the melody of the song that I sang. She was wisdom, adventure, and beauty. Together, we were a castle. When you put us together, we almost seemed like royalty. We kept a treasure that was only meant for our eyes only and nothing could tear that apart.

It almost seemed impossible to connect with someone fifty years your senior like I connected with my grandmother. She was my rock and my best friend. I'm not saying that I didn't have a best friend my own age because I did. I just shared something very special with my grandmother. It was a rare relationship too. It was deeper than the ones I had with my parents and my friends. It was because we made a promise to each other on my seventh birthday.

I was just starting to read and write. I was pretty excited and proud of myself too. I remembered coming home from my first grade class full of enthusiasm because I received my first A on cursive writing. I started writing on every single surface of the house; the walls, the coffee table, even the floral fabric off the couches. I was a little writing monster. My mother complained about all the colorful messes I made around the house. But I remembered looking up at her one day while she rubbed the Crayola off the wall. She was lecturing me and at the same time she was laughing. She was amused by me. I was glad that my fascination with writing wasn't such a horrible thing after all.

Later that year, I celebrated my seventh birthday. My grandmother was visiting. She only lived in a city away so she visited as much as possible. I had all of my friends surrounding me in the dining room. Presents were piling up on the table and there was a white cake with pink icing embroidering the edges.

I was a pink lover when I was younger, but now I absolutely hated it. I don't know why I all of sudden hated the color pink. I think it was the year that I turned eleven. I had this big crush over this boy named Aaron Armstrong. He had blonde spiky hair and always wore the coolest shirts. He was a trouble maker. I had a thing for those types of boys when I was younger. When Valentines arrived, I decided to make him a pink card shaped as a heart. Inside the card I wrote, "Will you be my valentine?" in cursive of course. And I gave it to him after school. I remember him looking at me when I gave it to him. He laughed as he read it. He ripped it in half and said no. That was the day I became a heart broken eleven year old who hated the color pink.

Anyways, while I was waiting at the end of the table for my mother to come by and light up my seven candles, my grandmother appeared at the entrance way of the room. She walked over to me and told me to follow her into the living room. I left all of my friends behind and followed. She sat down on the sofa chair near the window and leaned over to grab a small gift from a secret place behind the sofa. She lifted me up on her lap and handed the beautifully wrapped present to me.

"Open it," she smiled.

I slowly peeled the white and red paper off the square object and revealed a peach colored booklet.

"Your mother's been telling me you've been writing everywhere," she started, moving her hand down my long brown hair. I nodded and glided my fingers across the cover. "Well, I decided to give you this. It's a booklet full of blank pages. You can rip out the pages and you can do whatever you want with it." She opened the book and flipped through the lined papers inside. I felt incredibly giddy at that moment. While other girls were getting excited over Barbie dolls, I got excited over blank notebooks.

"Thank you, grandma," I said as I wrapped my arms around her neck for an embrace.

"No problem, sweetie." When we parted from our hug, I hopped off her lap and returned to my seat in the dining room. My grandmother stood at the corner of the room with my mother as I blew out my candles and opened all of my presents. It was a pretty sight to see.

Once the party was over, everyone left and said their goodbyes. My mom and dad were busy picking up all the trash and empty plates from the table when I sat in the living room thinking of something to write in my book.

"What are you doin' baby?" my father asked, walking into the living room holding a few plastic plates in his hand. I turned back and said, "Writing." He smiled and leaned over to kiss me on top of my head. When he left the living room to go back into kitchen, I heard my mother and grandmother talking in the hallway. It seemed like they were raising their voices at each other.

"Mom, this isn't happening. You can't just move to the other side of the country just because . . ."

"Lydia, that's our hometown. I'm retiring this year and all I want to do is live back home in North Carolina."

"Mom, you need to stay close to us. What about your health?"

"I just want to be near your father."

When I heard that my grandmother was leaving California to live somewhere else I was surprised. I immediately dropped my pen and ran towards the hallway. My grandmother's back was towards me when I ran over to them. My mother watched as I tried my hardest to keep her close.

"Don't leave!" I yelled. My grandmother turned around and noticed that I was attached to her hip.

"Sweetie," she patted my head. "Don't worry."

"Please, please don't leave," I begged.

I heard her say something to my mom, something about "talking later". My mother kissed me gently on the cheek and left to leave me and my grandmother alone. My grandmother held my hand and led me back into the living room where I left my open booklet. She gently picked up the book from the floor and sat on the sofa chair with me on her lap.

"I know it's going to be sad when I leave here, Haley," she began. "But there is something or someone that I want to see in North Carolina. "

"Who?" I asked.

She smiled at me. I could see the little wrinkles around her eyes as her cheeks rose.

"The love of my life," she answered.

"Really?" I asked as I lit up at the thought. "The love of your life lives there?"

"Yes," she replied.

"Is he handsome?"

She giggled a little bit and looked away as if she was imagining his face in her mind.

"He was amazingly handsome," she glided her fingers down my hair and then picked up the booklet from her lap.

"I guess I'll let you go," I said, looking down at my hands.

"Just because I'm not going to be living here anymore doesn't mean you have to let me go," she said. "That's why I wanted to give you this booklet to write in." She started flipping through the pages again and touching every single one she passed. "When I'm a thousand miles away from you, you can write on these pages and send me a letter."

"About anything?"

"Absolutely anything you want to tell me. If you're feeling sad, write me a letter. Feel bored? Write me a letter. When you feel lonely?"

"Write you a letter," I finished as she started laughing and poking me gently in the stomach.

"Exactly!" she stated, gently touching my little nose. "Anytime you need someone to talk to or if there's no one at all, you can count on me. I'm only a pen and paper away."

"Will you write back?"

She moved her head back at me, pretending to be surprised, "Me not write back? Impossible." She started getting closer to me and squinting her eyes as she looked at me. "Of course I'll write back."

"Promise?" I questioned as I lifted my left pinky up in the air for her.

"Promise," she said as she linked our little pinkies together. In that moment, with our fingers interlocked, I noticed the smoothness in my pinky and the wrinkles in hers. But I didn't see any age. The only thing I saw was the combination of youth and wisdom.

When I looked up at her, I noticed the warmth of her smile and the twinkle of her eyes. It was as if she was made of magic. I was only seven years old then and I felt like my grandmother was something more than just human. Now that I'm eighteen and about to enter my first year of college, I still thought she was pretty magical.

I was reading the first letter she had written back when I started thinking about our beautiful bond. I had given her a short and simple note. I didn't have the best grammar and spelling at that age, so it wasn't perfect. I wrote something along these words.

_Dear Granma Olivea,_

_I miss you lots. I got another A in cursive. Mama has it on the fridge again. Did you finally see the luv of your life? Is he still hansome? Show me a picture. I don't know what else to write. I love you. Have fun in North Carolina._

_Luv, _

Haley James.

And she wrote back with a letter telling me about her first week there and also sent a picture.

_Dearest Haley,_

_I am having plenty of fun in North Carolina. I'm actually living in a town called Tree Hill. It's beautiful here, honey. There's more trees and pretty houses here than there is in California, but that's just my opinion. This was where I grew up and I missed it so much. One day you'll visit me and I'll show you my favorite places. I'm happy to hear that you're doing well with your handwriting. I can't wait to see it develop through the years. I'm sure that it will be beautiful just like you. The people here are fantastic and the love of my life is wonderful. He's still handsome. I wish you could meet him. You would probably fall in love with him too. Since you can't meet him, I decided to send you a picture that you asked for. Isn't he lovely? Well, I have to go now. I have a tea party to attend to with one of my best friends here. Remember, I'm only a pen and paper away._

_Love you,_

_Grandma Olivia._

I held the photo of my grandfather in my hands and grazed my finger across his face. It was a picture of his younger days. He was very handsome like my grandmother had said. It's tragic to know that he had died when my mother was only a teenager. I always believed that he was alive because of all the things my grandmother said about him. It must've broken her heart knowing he was never going to be around. I guess living back in North Carolina made her feel closer to him.

I put the letter back into the box where I kept all the rest in and placed it into the suitcase I had packed. I was heading to North Carolina to visit my grandmother for the summer. I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before I left for college. This was going to be the first time I've seen her in eleven years. _We wrote each other letters for eleven years. _That's a very long time. We never got a chance to see each other in between because of other priorities. But even though we were apart for that long, we knew everything about each other. It was like she never left.

"Hey Haley," I turned to my door and found my mother peeking through. "Remember to get the sugar and icing from the market today." I nodded and then she disappeared from my room. I secured the box into the suitcase and zipped it up. I grabbed my little shoulder bag and headed downstairs.

I passed the kitchen where my mother was preparing to bake cookies.. She was pouring some of the chocolate kisses into a glass bowl and I snatched a palm full.

"Thanks mom," I smiled, kissing her on the cheek and started towards the kitchen that led towards the driveway.

"Wait a second, missy."' I halted, putting two morsels of chocolate into my mouth and turned to my mother.

"Did you get the letter your grandmother sent you?" she asked, as she reached over to grab the bag full of white chocolate kisses from the counter.

I stepped away from the door and looked at her confused, "Uh yeah, I got it Wednesday."

"No, she sent you another one," she stated as she cut the bag open. "It's over by the coffeemaker, I thought you saw it." She nodded towards the pile of letters to her side.

"Already?" I questioned. My mom just shrugged her shoulders as she started pouring the white chocolate into the bowl with the milk chocolate.

I walked over to grab the envelope that said my name and put a few more chocolates in my mouth.

"Oh, well now I see it," I looked at and carried it in my hand. It felt a little heavy so I started twirling it around. I felt something slide across the envelope. It almost seemed like there was a coin inside. I put the rest of the chocolate kisses into my mouth and opened the letter.

I pulled out a key and unfolded the note inside.

_Dear Hales,_

_I know I already sent you a letter before, but days after I sent it I received last minute news. I have to show up to a gathering at the local Senior Citizen center. I won't be at home when you arrive so I sent you a spare key to my house. One of my good friends will be picking you up at the airport. Don't worry I'll be there later in the evening. I can't wait to see you my darling. _

_Always,_

_Grandmother Olivia._

I licked my lips and put the letter down. I held the spare key in my hand and noticed the beautiful shape of it. It was different and almost Victorian-like. It almost looked like a clover.

"She sent me a key to her house," I stated.

"What did the letter say?" my mother asked as I turned around.

"She said she'll be at some gathering when I arrive so her friend is going to pick me up at the airport," I walked up to her and showed her the key that I received. "It's a spare to her house."

My mother looked at it and started analyzing the design. "She's living in the same house we used to live in when I was younger. I can't believe it," she smiled.

"Really? That's awesome," I stated as I glanced at the key one more time.

I told my mom about our promise to send letters to each other whenever we could. I would tell her the simple stuff about Grandma Olivia, but I wouldn't tell her everything. It was for our eyes only.

"Well I'm headed out again," I leaned over to kiss my beautiful mother on the cheek and attempted to grab another handful of chocolate, but my mother slapped me before I could.

I stuck my tongue out at her and headed out to the market.

When I arrived, I grabbed a small basket by the entrance and greeted few of the familiar workers that I knew. I walked past the 'Snacks and Chips' aisle and spotted Aaron Armstrong adding new chip bags on the shelf.

Unfortunately the boy that broke my heart in elementary school eventually became my future boyfriend in high school. We only dated for a few months until I decided to break up with him. He was oblivious the whole time and didn't care about me. He didn't realize that he was the one who ripped my Valentines card that year. He was an ass then and he is still an ass now.

As I started walking down the market to find the baking aisle, I heard a voice. I turned around and found Aaron calling out my name. He was wearing a red polo shirt that had the name of the market on his left breast pocket and carried one of those price guns. I groaned when I noticed him walking over.

"What are you doing?" he asked. I slowly turned on my heel and said, "I'm grabbing a few things."

I began walking down the 'Cakes and Cookies' aisle and found the packs of sugar. He followed as he started putting prices on random packs of cookies.

"So what are your plans for the summer?" he asked as I put the pack of sugar in my basket and continued to walk.

"I'm going to visit my grandmother in North Carolina." I scanned the containers of icing and found the French vanilla flavored one.

"North Carolina? That's far away," he stated, still following me. I looked away from the icing and glanced at him up and down.

"Yeah, it's pretty far. I'll be there _all_ summer." Thankfully.

"You're not spending any time here?" he questioned as he noticed one of his coworkers watching him. He quickly grabbed one of the icings and started pointed the price gun to it.

"Nope, but I'll be back the two weeks before I leave for Stanford," I turned around to grab the one I wanted and placed it in the basket.

"Oh."

He's been begging for me to take him back ever since I broke up with him. I am not planning on giving him another chance. Other than him being an ass to me, he wasn't the guy that I wanted to be with anyways.

As he stood there, I walked around him and started towards the register. He quickly followed me to one of the lines and asked, "I was just wondering. Before you leave, do you want to catch lunch or something?"

I laughed a little and stepped forward as the line shortened. "Aaron, I'm leaving when I get home today. I can't do anything else. But it's sweet of you for asking," I smiled at him and patted his shoulder.

"I guess I'll see you. . .?"

"Sometime in the future," I finished as he just stood there like a stalker. "Okay byeeeee," I said mockingly. And I turned away from him and gave my stuff to the cashier. I felt him slowly backing away and I was feeling a bit awkward. Then I heard his manager yell at him to get back to work.

"He is definitely not over you," Lisa, the bagger at the register next to me, stated. We had a few classes together in high school and had a few mutual friends. We weren't really good friends, but we knew each other.

"Obviously," I stated as I pulled out my wallet.

"So you're going to North Carolina?" she asked, putting a few cans into plastic bags. I slowly pulled out a twenty when I gave her a look.

"I overheard you guys talking when I passed by."

"Oh, well yeah," I paid for my items and looked back over at her. "My grandmother lives there,"

"That's great. At least you won't be stuck here like me. I'm going to be working all summer to pay for my first semester," she started adding bags into the customer's cart. I grabbed my bag of items and stood to the side to continue our little conversation.

"That stinks. Hopefully you'll get enough money for that," I smiled.

"Let's hope so," she replied.

"K, well nice talking to you Lisa. I really have to head out. I have a plane to catch later," I stated.

"Alrighty. Have fun in North Carolina!"

"Thanks. Have a good summer," I replied and then I headed out, leaving one last glance at Aaron who was now shooting prices on the cheap flowers across the room. I chuckled to myself and drove back home.

When I came home, my mother finished baking the cookies she promised me while I was upstairs adding a few more things to my luggage. I had to have two months worth of clothes and underwear in there. I was practically moving out and living with my grandmother.

My daddy finally came home from work to bring me to the airport. My mother packed the cookie sandwiches with icing filling into two bags so that I could eat it on the plane ride there. When we finally arrived to the airport, we exchanged our goodbyes. My mother held onto me so tightly that I needed access to breathe. She really didn't want to let me go for the whole summer, but I really wanted to be with my grandma. My dad was the same way. He gave me his biggest bear hug possible. He even lifted me off the floor.

"You better be good, Haley," my mother advised as she caressed my cheek.

"I will, mom," I said as I grabbed the handle of my suitcase. "I'll you call you guys." Then I turned away from them and walked up to the line.

_**Tell me what you all think? Do you like it? R&R**_


	2. Chapter 1 The Little Things

A/N: Thank you soo much for all the wonderful reviews and for everyone who has favorited this story. It means a lot. I'm sorry it took a while to get the complete first chapter done. I wanted it to be perfect. I really hope you enjoy this chapter. Read and Review. I'd like to know what you think! I'd love to know what you love and stuff, you can ramble or something. I love long reviews and reading every detail. blahh. I'm starting to ramble now haha. Well here's the first chapter!

-Annie

* * *

_**Chapter 1 // The Little Things**_

The plane ride wasn't so bad. I ate a few snacks and I chewed a whole pack of gum. I hated how my ears were hurting the whole time. I had to chew the gum to keep myself from crying from the pain.

When I finally arrived, I tried to search for my suitcase from the luggage carousel. I found my bag, but not my suitcase. That's exactly what I needed right now. I have clogged up ears and a missing luggage.

"Shit," I cursed under my breath. I just stood there waiting and watching as people grabbed their things. Then I glanced at my watch and noticed that it was a quarter to four. I hope my grandmother's friend wasn't waiting too long.

I stepped back so that others could get their things. One woman was rude and kind of pushed me aside while she grabbed her fancy, pink luggage. How tacky! I glanced at her and noticed the large sunglasses that she was wearing. We were inside of an airport and there was not one sight of sunlight in here. She turned around, took a quick glance at me. I grew annoyed and said, "What?" She made the "hmph" sound and left. I shook my head as if I was amused and lit up when I found my navy blue suitcase on the carousel. I reached over for it and struggled to pull it over. When I did, I went out searching for my Grandmother's mysterious friend.

I walked passed a few people. Some people were reuniting with their husbands. Others were meeting up with friends and boyfriends. And I was out searching for an old person. I looked really cool.

I rolled my suitcase around the airport searching for this person that I didn't even know. Was it a female? Male? Were they old or young? I didn't know who I was looking for. I was stuck in a situation where I was looking for a stranger. It's not what I wanted to do the first time I arrived in North Carolina. But isn't that what we all do when we discover a new world? We meet strangers. Before we could really know someone, they are only strangers.

While I was browsing around through the crowd, I noticed someone by the exiting doors. She looked familiar like I've seen her before. She had blondish white hair and a floral top and jeans. Her face was probably in one of the pictures my grandmother gave me. So I just went with my instincts and started heading towards her.

I was hesitant at first and then I finally asked, "Are you friends with Olivia Bregard?"

I wasn't sure how she'd react to that question. She was probably the wrong person until I suddenly found her smiling gently at me. "Yes I am. I'm Merriam and you must be Haley." I was right.

"Yeah. Nice to meet you," I greeted as I shook her hand softly. "I wasn't sure who I was I looking for. My grandma just told me that a friend of hers was going to be picking me up. She wasn't really specific either though. And your face looked really familiar," I rambled.

"Oh, it's fine. At least you recognized my face or you would've been lost," she smiled. "Good thing I knew what you looked like."

"You do?"

"Oh of course," she said. "Let me help you with those things," she continued as she grabbed a hold of my rolling suitcase. "Your grandmother has pictures of you every where in the house. It's obvious that you are her favorite grandchild."

"I wouldn't say that," I blushed.

"Well it's true. She's always raving about how intelligent and talented you are," she said as she started to walk towards a silver Lincoln down the sidewalk. "You are a very big part of her life."

I smiled as she popped her trunk open. "I hope she wasn't bragging too much. I don't want to disappoint anyone when I arrive." I noticed her grabbing my suitcase and carrying it inside the trunk and she was the same age as my grandmother. I just watched amazed.

"Oh don't worry, doll," she pushed the trunk down and turned to me. "It almost came to a point that we didn't think you actually existed. By the way she talked about you, you sounded almost too perfect."

I was silent. I wasn't sure what to say to that. I was definitely not perfect. I was actually pretty far from perfect.

"But that's just your ol' granny talkin. You know how we old ladies love to brag about our grandchildren." I laughed. She started walking towards the driver's seat as I climbed into to the passenger's seat. I held my bag on my lap as we started heading off to town.

"Before I drop you off at your grandmother's house, we have to stop by the bakery," Merriam stated as she turned a corner and into a street in the middle of what seemed like the busy part of town.

Bakery? I think I'm starting to realize who she was. It's been a long time since I've read the letter about my grandmother sharing a bakery business with someone. She even sent me a picture of her cutting the ribbon to the grand opening with Merriam. That's where I've seen her before.

"MO's Bakery?" I asked.

"AH yes! That's our bakery!"

"My grandmother sent me a letter and a picture about it. That's where I knew you from. It must've been exciting to be able to finally start your own business."

"You have no idea how amazing it was to sign those papers to the place at last. It took a couple of years of baking cakes and pies for the community to finally realize that we wanted to be serious about it. We're grandparents and we love to bake so why not spend the rest of our lives cheering other people up with our desserts?"

"I think it's a brilliant idea. Grandma has a killer lemon meringue pie," I gushed.

"That's one of the popular ones we have." I smiled at the thought of hundreds of people ordering the one dessert that my grandmother made only for me and my family. I could just see the smile on her face.

I noticed us getting closer to the bakery. It had a sign above the entrance that said "MO's Bakery" in cursive – my favorite.

"I'll give you a tour of the shop," she stated as she parked. We both climbed out of the car and started walking towards the glass door. "A couple of young folks come in sometimes, so you can come here to hang out or meet a boy." She winked at me as we entered the bakery.

The moment I stepped inside, I couldn't believe the aroma that I smelled beneath my nose. It was rich. It was sweet. It was like I was in a perfume store. I looked around and I saw a couple of tables and chairs. Some people occupied them with a cupcake or scone in front of them with a cup of coffee. They all seemed really into their conversations or laughing about a joke. I couldn't help but be amazed by it.

There were picture frames everywhere. There were old Hollywood stars in them and some had old pictures of my grandmother when she was younger. There were also pictures that I assumed were Merriam. I just gazed in admiration at the beauty they both had and still have in them.

Cookies, cakes, cupcakes, pies, and other desserts surrounded me. I thought I had gained about 100 pounds just taking it all in with my eyes.

"Merriam, this place is amazing," I stated.

"Thank you. Your grandmother and I agreed on the colors and decorations of the place," she replied looking around. The walls were in pastel colors and there were unlit candles and flowers decorating the place. It was comforting and relaxing. "I actually wanted to go with a pink theme, but she refused. She said it was something about a boy? I wasn't really sure, but she hated the pink idea."

I laughed when she spoke about the pink situation. Ever since I wrote her the letter about Aaron, she decided she wanted to hate the color pink too.

She wrote: _He broke your heart on Valentines? How dare he! If you hate pink because of that boy, I'll hate it too._

"I'll show you the kitchen," Merriam stated as she guided me towards a swinging white door. When I entered, it was a white room with cake mix everywhere and a couple of people working on a few orders. They were all at certain tables. One girl was sitting at one table on her own while she decorated a strawberry themed cake. A tall, skinny guy with black hair was placing criss crossed the crust over a pan of apples. And then there was a main table where people were working on a four layered wedding cake.

"Hey Merriam!" a large, middle-aged old man with glasses called out. He wasn't as old looking as Merriam, but he wasn't exactly my age either. "Is that Olivia's granddaughter?" he asked, nodding at me.

Merriam placed a hand over my shoulder and stood before everyone. "Yep. Everyone say 'Hi,' to Haley," she ordered. While everyone was working patiently on their cakes and desserts, they took a few seconds to greet me.

I smiled back at everyone, but I don't think they all caught it. Merriam started guiding me around and telling me all the little details about the workers here.

She pointed at the large middle-aged man and said, "That's Jonathan. He's the class clown of the kitchen. He's always joking about something even if it didn't make any sense." I laughed as we both saw him chuckle at something.

We both looked over at the girl who was working on the strawberry cake and said, "That's Eliza, she believes in all supernatural phenomenons. She wanted to work on that ghost hunter show, but things didn't work out. But beyond her oddness, she's a very sweet girl."

Merriam continued to tell me about everyone who worked here. Everyone had their very own personality and style. I was intrigued by the diversity working in this bakery. I loved it because it wasn't what I was used to. In the town I lived in over in California, everyone seemed the same and very bland. No one was interesting to me. But here, everything intrigued me.

"Well, we better head out." We both started walking back to the main room of the store, when one of the bakers called for Merriam for help. "I'll be right back. Just wait for me out there," she advised as I walked out of the kitchen and back into the area where a few more strangers were browsing the place.

I sat at one of the tables near the display counter and watched as people walked in and out. While I was tapping my fingers on the table, I noticed a guy come inside. He was tall, muscular with a light tan and dark brown hair. He just darted inside and went behind the counter and popped open the register.

My eyes furrowed as I watched him pick a few dollars from the tray. He had no right to be lurking through the register like that and snatching money out of it. Since I had a tendency to follow my instincts, I stood up from my seat and walked over to the man.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" I asked, curiously.

He slowly picked up a dollar from the tray and glanced up at me, "Do I know you?"

"No, but that doesn't matter right now. I want you to put that money back."

"I'm not stealing," he replied, grabbing a few more.

"Then what do you call that?" I pointed out. He closed the register and put the money in his pocket.

He didn't answer. He just looked at me as if I had an insect on my face. "I do this once a week," he replied.

I gave him a look. "You steal money from here every week? "

"I already told you, I'm not stealing anything. I'm allowed to take money from here. Everyone knows I do it." I looked around the shop and noticed how relaxed and oblivious everyone was. No one feared him when he walked in and no one panicked when he started rummaging through the cash register.

"Who allows you to take money from here or are you just saying that so I'd let you go?"

He chuckled. "You must not be from around here. You obviously don't know who I am."

Was I supposed to know who this guy was? I just shook my head in annoyance.

"I'm Nathan Scott. I'm the grandson of the owner here," he replied.

He's obviously not Olivia's grandson. I would've known. "Merriam's?" I asked.

"Yeah, you know her?" he asked as I watched him open the glass display to grab a cupcake.

"She's friends with my grandmother. I'm Olivia's grandchild," I replied.

"Ah, so you're Miss Over Achiever," he stated after a taking a bite from the cupcake.

I scoffed, "I am definitely not."

"From what I've heard, you were at the top of your class and won a few competitions in glee club," he stated with a smirk.

My grandmother really babbled about me, didn't she? Did she really have to discuss me being in glee club with these people? If only she didn't.

"Look, just because you're Merriam's grandson it doesn't give you the right to take money out of her register."

He took another bite of the cupcake and placed it on the counter. "If you really must know, my grandmother gives me money every week to help pay for my car note. Even though I work here, she thinks it's her right as a grandmother to keep giving me allowances every week. On my off days, I just come in and get it. She trusts me enough to barge in here and grab it from the cash register," he answered.

"Oh," I said, embarrassed. "She must really trust you then."

"Yeah, she does," he replied, chuckling. "Did you really think I was going to rob this place?" he asked. "If you did, you're a pretty brave girl to be walking up to a thief like that."

I shrugged, "Eh, what can I say. I have balls."

He lifted an eyebrow at me and started shaking his head. "So what's your real name, Miss Ballsy?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "I'm Haley James."

He reached out his hand to shake mine. "Nice to meet you Haley James."

"Yeah you too," I replied completely embarrassed of my actions. Staring at him for those few seconds, I realized how the sunlight from the window accented his blue eyes. He was a very attractive guy. I didn't really realize that until now because I was too worried about him stealing money out of the bakery.

"I see you've met my grandson!" We both turned around and found Merriam smiling at us.

"She thought I was taking money from the register," he stated as Merriam embraced him from the side.

"Well, I didn't know who he was."

"At least we know if you're around, we won't get robbed." I just wanted to lean over the counter and slap him then and there, but I didn't want to be rude in front of Merriam.

"Better watch out about this one," she began, patting him on the arm. "He's a trouble maker," she advised, winking at me. I took that in really well. I think I even embedded it into my brain.

"Any who, we have to get you back to your grandmother's house before she arrives," Merriam stated as she walked around the display counter and grabbed her purse.

I turned around and followed her towards the door.

"It was nice chatting with you!" I heard him call out from behind us. I wanted to turn around give him a look, but Merriam placed a hand on the small of my back and said, "he's just trying to push your buttons."

On the ride to my grandmother's house she talked about Nathan and how he was such a charming boy. She told me how he used to be on the High School basketball team and led them to victory at the State Championships. He was also an all around guy. He was very generous to community and became a volunteer firefighter. That was very impressive. Nathan did carry that strong physique when I was looking at him for those few seconds. Merriam was right about grandparents always bragging about their grandchildren.

When we parked in the driveway to the house, I couldn't believe my eyes. The place was beautiful. It was a yellow two story house with a white porch wrapped around it. There was a gorgeous garden of flowers in the front yard and bird bath in the center of it. It was very old fashioned and elegant. It looked brand new.

"Your grandmother renovated the house a few years back because it was falling apart, but luckily she saved a ton of money on the side," Merriam stated noticing how mesmerized I was by the place.

"Am I really staying in this house for the summer?"

I heard her laugh as we both climbed out of the car. She popped the trunk open and pulled out my suitcase just like she put it inside at the airport. I was still impressed by her strength at her age. I was afraid that it would pull her back or something, but she did it so easily.

"Do you work out?" I asked.

"Oh, me? I do some strength training sometimes. Nathan actually helped me stay in shape. He's a good coach," she smiled.

I pulled out the key from my pocket as we approached the front door. I unlocked it, opened it and immediately smelled my grandmother's signature scent. It was a mixture roses and vanilla. I felt Merriam walk past me to place my suitcase in the bright white living room that could've been in a Southern Homes magazine. My grandmother was certainly up to date with the indoor style.

I looked down the hallway and noticed a couple of pictures of me when I was younger and my cousins. But there were more pictures of me. There was a picture of me at my third grade spelling bee and at my first solo for a choir concert. There was another one of me during Valentines with a red heart instead of pink. She even put a picture of me wearing the ugliest sundress that my mother could have ever given me. Horrid! Merriam wasn't kidding when she said I was all over the house.

"Your grandmother will be here in about ten minutes, are you fine here by yourself?"

I looked away from the picture frames and glanced at Merriam. "Oh yeah, I'm fine here. I'll just look around until she arrives."

"Alrighty dear. It was nice meeting you again," she said as she hugged me. "If you need anything you can call the bakery. I'm pretty sure Olivia has it on the fridge. I'll see you tomorrow."

After she left, I left all my belongings in the living room and decided to tour the house on my own. The place was so elegant but very quaint at the same time. It wasn't too fancy and too "old" like I expected it to be. I went upstairs and found the bathroom. The counters were made of marble – Grandma was getting all fancy on me. Then I found a bedroom that I assumed was hers. Being a nosy person like I was, I opened some of the drawers in her vanity stand. I found her jewelry drawer and poked around at all the pretty vintage jewels she had. Then I lifted up a long necklace of pearls and wrapped it around my neck to see what I looked like in the mirror.

Pretty, I thought. When I put it back into the drawer I noticed a black and white picture. It was of her and grandpa. It was their wedding. She had on a white lacy dress with flowers on the side of her curly hair. And Grandpa looked really sharp in his tux and bow tie. They really fit together. If only I had the chance to meet him.

I walked out and tried searching for my room. I opened the room passed the bathroom and slowly opened it and noticed the peach walls, a silky bed, and a desk with a cup of pens and pencils on top of it. I stepped towards the bed and felt the silkiness of the comforter and then grazed the slick gloss of the wooden desk. I smiled and I just knew that this was my room. There was an empty book on top of the desk with a brand new pen beside it. I slowly opened the booklet and noticed a note inside.

_Dear Haley,_

_I see you've found your room already. How did you know? Was it the peach colored walls or the random book on the desk? What ever it was I am glad you found it. I just wanted to give you another memorable gift - a blank book. The last time I gave you a blank book like this was on your 7__th__ birthday and that was the beginning of a wonderful bond. Now you're eighteen and the pages of that book have been filled in and sent to me. So I decided to give you this one for you to keep. I want you to write about your trip here for the summer. I think it's a wonderful idea especially since we're no longer a thousand miles a part. We don't have to write each other letters. I just thought it would be nice to write down all your thoughts and favorite times inside so that you can read it in the future._

_I'll be with you soon!_

_Love, Grandma Olivia._

I smiled at the thought that she took some of her time to buy me a book and write in it just for me. She spoils me sometimes. I don't even think I deserve it.

As I was flipping through the blank pages, I heard the door open downstairs. My heart skipped a beat. I just knew that it was her. I was starting to get nervous. It's been almost eleven years since I've seen her physically in front of me. I wondered if she still hugged the same, baked the same, talked the same, or even looked the same. There were so many thoughts clouding my mind, I forgot to step out of my "room".

"Haley, honey, are you here?" I heard her call out.

I quickly ran downstairs and found my favorite person in the world standing by the front door.

"Aw, there you are!" she smiled.

She looked fantastic for her age. And she looked drop dead gorgeous. Her hair was short, brown with a couple streaks of gray. Other than that, she looked like the same grandmother I knew when I was younger.I approached her with a huge hug and she embraced me in her arms like I was a child again.

_**R&R**_


	3. Chapter 2 Meet Virginia

**Hi everyone! I'm sorry for the delay. I just came back to school this week and I needed to catch up. And I just became busier and busier. But everyday I tried to write a snippet for the next chapter before I lost all what I wanted to write. For those of you who are reading my other story, _Underaged Love_, don't worry. I am still going to write it. It's hard juggling two stories, but it's my fault for making another one lol. I wanted to update this story before I updated that one. I hope you all don't mind. I hope you like this chapter!**

**Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter. I appreciate it! :)**  
**Sadly, I had no time to make a playlist for this chapter. Maybe one song fits.**  
**"Meet Virgina" by Train! ENJOY!**

* * *

_**Chapter 2 //Meet Virginia**_

My grandmother was everything that I hoped she'd be. I know that I've known her my whole life – especially through letters- but it's different when she's right in front of me. She confessed some secrets and told me stories through her letters. And now that I'm here with her, she can tell me those secrets while holding my hand, smiling at me and hugging me. I can finally eat the awesome cookies and cakes that she talks about instead of eating my mother's attempt at making them just like Grandma's. It's like listening to your favorite musician sing a song on the radio and wanting so badly to finally see them in concert. And when you finally get those tickets for the front row seats, it's like adrenaline running through your veins because of all the excitement. The real thing is in front of you and that's how I felt when I finally saw my grandmother.

"How's the pancakes?" she asked me while she poured my glass with orange juice.

I cut a piece of chocolate chip pancake from my plate and put it in my mouth, savoring the delicious flavor.  
"It's fantastic. If only I had this every morning." I chewed and took a quick swig of orange juice.

"You're mother doesn't cook you breakfast?" she asked sitting in the chair across from me with a glass of orange juice in her hand.

"Oh she does, but not as well as this. She usually cooks two sunny side eggs, a couple of bacons and strudel. It's never really from scratch."

"Well you're mother was never that talented in the kitchen, but she does make a mean meat loaf," she replied.

I nodded in agreement. She was the master at cooking meatloaf and maybe some lovely desserts. Other than that, she usually ordered take out. Both my father and I didn't mind that at all. We'd rather have McDonalds more than my mother's failed attempts at making roast chicken.

"So what are the plans for today?" I asked wiping my mouth with a napkin.

"Oh well I was invited to a barbeque this afternoon, so we're going to that," she smiled. "But we have to go to the bakery and finish the cake."

"Is it someone's birthday?" I asked.

"Nah. My young friend, Ellie, has this beginning of the summer barbeque for the whole town. It's at an old plantation. It's really gorgeous over there. You're going to love it."

I smiled. "Sounds great!"

Then she stood up from her seat and grabbed my plate and put it into the sink.

"So I heard that you met Nathan yesterday. How was that?" She asked as she turned on the faucet and started washing the plate.

I sighed deeply remembering that embarrassing moment. How could I forget about that?

"It was different," I replied.

She turned around, turning off the faucet and wiped her hands into a blue towel.

"Different? How?"

I gave her this look as if I was too embarrassed to even speak about it and I was. "I thought he was stealing money from the register." And I almost wanted to cover my face. I figured that she knew already. She knew Nathan and she obviously knew Merriam. The laugh and the comforting look on her face said it all.

"It's okay, honey. Nathan has been doing that for the past year. I'm just starting to get used to it. I told Merriam it wasn't a good idea because things like this could happen, but she said she trusted him," she replied.

I rolled my eyes. He was a guy and no one could truly trust a guy. Trust me. I know from experience. I dated Aaron Armstrong for a few months and he's told me a billion lies. What makes Nathan any different? But who knows? I barely knew the guy.

"Well get ready for the day. Did you bring any sundresses?" she asked.

"I have like two. I wasn't sure if I was going to wear anything fancy."

"Oh that's fine. If anything fancy comes along, we'll try and find you some cute outfits downtown."

"Thanks Grandma," I smiled and quickly ran up to my room with the lovely bed and beautiful wooden desk.

Sleeping in that comfortable bed was probably one of the best nights I've ever had. I wanted to stay in bed for twenty four hours, but I knew that I had a big day and a big summer ahead of me.

I pulled out my suitcase that still had all the clothing I packed inside and rummaged through it to find one of two sundresses that I had. I had a light blue one with a ruffled lining and a yellow one with a white lacey lining. I wasn't sure what I wanted to wear. The yellow one looked too sexy so I chose the blue one.

I quickly dressed up, pulled my hair in a pony tail and applied light make up and lip gloss. I always pulled my hair up when I didn't want to look dressy. The only time I wanted to curl my hair and leave it down was when I wanted to look good. I mean really good. I guess today wasn't one of those days that I wanted to impress anybody.

My grandmother wore a white button up shirt and beige dress pants. She even wore a small hat to go with her outfit. "Well look at you!" she sang when I met her by the foyer. "You look beautiful!"

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," I complimented as we both headed out towards the bakery.

-----------

When we arrived, I was surprised to see more people here than yesterday. Everyone looked all dressed up. I'm guessing this barbeque was a pretty big deal. Some men were wearing nice slacks and a few ladies were all in cute sundresses. I wonder who this Ellie lady was and if she was some heiress or something.

My grandmother guided me towards the back and I saw the same people that Merriam introduced me to. There was Jonathan icing a cake and Eliza working on it by applying red roses on the edges.

"Eliza, don't forget to make the green leaves!" my grandmother ordered as she started looking over the cake. I walked around, smiling politely at all the familiar faces and then found myself getting bumped into from behind.

"Oh sorry," the person apologized. I turned around and found myself glancing at Nathan Scott. I noticed him look me up and down and I just rolled my eyes.

"What are you looking at?" I asked annoyingly.

"Nothing. You look nice," he smirked as he put the white boxes that he was carrying on the counter beside us. "I see that you're attending Ellie's Annual Barbecue."

"Yeah, I guess. My grandma told me to wear a sundress."

"It is the required outfit," he responded. I looked at his clothes and noticed that he was wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a regular blue cotton shirt. Nothing fancy. I lifted my eyebrow.

"Are you wearing that to the party?" I asked.

He started to chuckle. "Nah. I'm not going."

He walked passed me and headed towards an area with tin shelves full of fresh baked cookies. He grabbed the tray and walked back towards the counter where he left the white boxes.

"Have you been to this kind of thing? I'm not really used to this whole small town annual event stuff." I watched him as he started putting a dozen cookies into the boxes.

I heard him laugh and glanced up at me with his blue eyes. "Well, I've been to quite a few and it's fun when you want it to be. They have a large grill prepared with a personal chef who wears this large hat. He tosses those pieces of steaks like a juggler. The people dress up and the girls wear their cute sundresses," he stated looking me up and down again. "But personally, I'm not much of a fan because it means that I have to dress up for once." He closed the box and grabbed another tray of cookies to fill the second one.

"Well hey there, Haley. You look lovely," Merriam greeted me as she walked into the kitchen from the front.

"Thanks."

"And hey, Nate," she stated as she patted his shoulder. I noticed her gazing at his outfit and she said, "Why aren't you dressed?"

"What are you talking about?" he replied putting the cookies into the second box one at a time. "I am dressed up."

"I mean for the barbecue today. You're going aren't you?"

"Nana, I am working today," he replied. "You gave me this shift, don't you remember?"

"Well I didn't realize that today was Ellie's barbecue at the time. I'm now taking you off the shift," she replied.

"What? Then who are you going to replace me with?" he asked, curiously while he closed the box.

"No one. Olivia and I decided to close the bakery for today. Nobody's going to be coming in because of the barbecue and you know that."

"Are you serious?"

"Very serious. So hurry and get dressed."

I tried to stop myself from giggling. The face he was making was priceless. It almost seemed like he wanted to choke his grandmother to death, but was struggling to hold it back.

"I'm going to go give this to the customer now," he replied annoyed, carrying the boxes in his arms and exiting out of the kitchen.

"That boy is so stubborn these days," Merriam stated, shaking her head at his now disappearing figure.

"He seems like it," I smiled as Merriam starting cleaning the excess cookie crumbs from the counter with a rag. "So who is Ellie?" I asked.

"Ellie? She's the former mayor's wife. Ever since he became mayor of town she set up this barbecue party and it's still going on even though Larry isn't the mayor anymore."

"Wow. Are they wealthy?"

"They are definitely wealthy. They have a house in England, I hear. At least that's what Nathan tells me. I wouldn't be surprised if they did."

"They definitely do, but they only visit during the winter," Olivia stated walking over to hug me. I smiled and hugged her back. "The cake's almost finished. It just needs a little bit more adjusting and then we're going to head off to the barbecue," she stated towards Merriam.

"Good. I feel like they've been working on that cake for hours. You'd think they would be faster with this especially since they've been doing it for the past what, three years?"

"Eliza's just learning, Merriam. You have to give the girl a chance."

"If only she wasn't so obsessed with searching the town's ghost history in the library," Merriam stated as we all looked over at Jonathan and Eliza. He had just slapped her hand because she was about dip her finger in the icing bowl. I laughed when I saw her stick her tongue out.

"That's what Eliza likes, let it go," my grandmother stated. "At least she's the go-to girl during Halloween." Olivia looked over at me and said, "About two years ago, Eliza made this black and white cake that looked like a hill with a grave stone on top. And when you cut it, it looked as if there were three different layers of earth inside. There was a vanilla cake on the top layer, mocha in the middle and a chocolate cake at the bottom. It was brilliant. I would've never thought of something like that. The customers were raving over the Grave Yard Hill cake for weeks." She walked over to her office in the back and showed me the picture of the cake. It looked phenomenal. "But unfortunately, she's not a big fan of bright and happy cakes like that one over there."

"She has to get used to this place now that she's working here. We do more than just Halloween cakes, Olivia."

"And I'm sure she knows that," Olivia stated and patted Merriam's shoulder. "Well we're about to head out. We'll see you and Nathan at the barbecue?"

"Of course. See you girls," Merriam smiled and we walked to the front.

-------

As I was staring at the plantation from the car window, I felt like I was entering a fantasy world. None of this felt real to me. Everyone roaming the grass by the house looked like ants in Easter colors; blending into each other like a canvas of paint. We drove along this rocky road where the large oak trees curled inward, creating a tunnel. The sunlight shined through the branches and reflected over my face as we drove closer and closer to the plantation.

We parallel parked by plenty of cars on the street and entered the crowd of lemonade drinking and barbecue eating people. Some of those cups I'm sure weren't filled with lemonade.

"Come on, Hales. I'll introduce you to Ellie," Olivia stated as she linked arms with me and headed towards the steps of the white house. It had long white columns and a balcony that wrapped around the whole second floor. The windows were framed with green shutters and flower pots decorating the window sill.

When we approached the front of the house, I noticed a woman with shoulder length blonde hair chatting with two or three people. She was wearing a long yellow tunic dress and I automatically assumed she was Ellie.

"Olivia! You came!" The woman called out, moving in between the man and the woman to greet my grandmother. She embraced her with opened arms and glanced at me for a second before smiling. "This must be Haley," she stated. "Your grandmother has told me a lot about you."

"So I've heard," I replied.

"You're going to Stanford after this summer, right?" she asked in this high pitched voice. She was too excited to meet me and it kind of creeped me out.

"Yep, I'm majoring in humanities."

"That's sounds wonderful! My daughter Peyton is going to The University of North Carolina School of Arts. She's a born artist. Do you do any painting?"

I shrugged my shoulders and thought about the painting of the Pacific Ocean that I made in kindergarten. Even though it was just a piece of paper I painted completely blue, I thought it was pretty amazing. "Not really."

I heard my grandmother chuckle beside me. "She's a wonderful singer though."

"Grandma!" I whined.

"Oh yes, I've heard. Glee club." I didn't like how she said it. She made it seem like it was a dirty word and that it was forbidden from her lips. I may not be the one who would announce the fact that I was in glee club like my grandmother, but to say it like that is insulting.

"She's won a few medals for her soprano and alto range. It's pretty impressive," Olivia continued as I thought about the CD my mother sent of me during my Spring Concert. Ellie nodded uninterested and started to say something about her daughter.

"Peyton won a couple of medals for her clay replica of The Pieta. I believe that's what gave her the full scholarship at the university."

"Is that the statue inside your house, Ellie?" Olivia asked.

"Oh yes! We wanted to put it up for display. We have such an accomplished daughter. Speaking of, there she is," Ellie replied, feeling a breeze beside us as a blonde curly head girl walked by.

"Peyton, dear. Come over here!"

We both looked over at the girl. She was wearing a green tank with a white skirt. I noticed her expression when she approached us. It was a mixture of annoyed and angry.

"Peyton, you know Olivia," Ellie began.

"Of course, she makes bad ass cookies!" Peyton stated, giving my grandmother a high five. I noticed the look on Ellie's face as if she wanted to slap her daughter for using that kind of language, and especially giving an old woman a high five.

"And this is Haley." She looked at me as she slightly smiled.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Why don't you two grab a drink and get some food," Ellie suggested. I looked over at my grandmother and she nodded. And we both walked away from them slowly.

"So you're from California?" she asked as we walked past a couple of people to get to the table full of food.

"Yeah, the good ol' San Francisco."

"No way! You totally live in the city that Patrick Monahan walked on," she replied. I laughed when I saw her face light up. She was no longer annoyed and angry.

"You like Train?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me? I think 'Meet Virginia' was written about me." I laughed.

"So you wear high heels when you exercise?"

She gave me a look at first before realizing what I meant and she began to laugh.

"You're funny and no, I don't."

"I guess San Fran is a pretty great place."

"Dude, the things I'd do to live there," she spoke. "Actually, I'd do about anything to get out of this hell hole."

I lifted my eyebrow as she grabbed two plastic cups from the pack on the corner of the long table.

"I'm guessing you don't like it here."

"It's not that I don't like it, it's just. . ." she paused as she looked at me, glancing at my blue dress. "Nice dress."

"Thanks," I replied, confused as she poured herself some lemonade and then gave me a cup to pour some myself.

"It's just things like this are a bit much for my liking. I think I was born at the wrong place, at the wrong time and maybe even to the wrong parents."

I chuckled as I took a sip from my cup. "Why is that?"

She was hesitant to answer. Peyton didn't seem like the perky type like her mother seemed to be. I had the slightest feeling that there was something else going on behind her blonde curly locks. Her skin was a little pale and I noticed the darkness of her eye shadow and eyeliner like it was hiding something underneath.

"Uh, just random stuff has happened," she finally said. "But if I tell you, I'd have to kill you."

"Right," I nodded.

"Peyton!" I heard Ellie call out.

"My mother beckons," she said as she took a sip from her cup. "I hope you enjoy the rest of the barbecue. I'll see you later." And there she went, disappearing through the crowd.

She left me alone by the food table as I gazed over people's head, searching high and low for my grandmother. I wasn't expecting to visit a gathering like this on my second day here. It was almost like a big hit in the face and I forgot to duck. I was still trying to take this all in. I was just like Peyton. I felt almost out of place in this town.

"Fun party, huh?" someone asked from beside me. I glanced up and noticed him standing there wearing a nice button up shirt and darker jeans. He wasn't looking directly at me. His back was against the food table like mine was and he was gazing at the crowd with a hand in his pocket and a cup in the other.

"You clean up well," I complimented.

"It's required to dress well to this jamboree. And I must say, I'm regretting it."

"What, sundresses and pastel colors don't suit you?" I asked with a smile.

"I feel like I'm living in a damn Easter basket," he replied sipping his drink.

"You shouldn't be talking. I'm wearing this," I stated, grabbing the side of my dress.

"But you look nice."

I started to blush a little, but I didn't want him to see that so I just shrugged it off and said, "I'd rather be wearing a tank top and jeans right now."

"You'd look good in that too," he said again, not even taking one glance at me.

"I bet you tell that to all the girls."

"Nah, just you," he replied. I rolled my eyes and tried to control the blushing of my skin.

"Right," I began. "You seem like the womanizer type. Don't pretend to act like you aren't."

He finally turned his head away from the crowd, which I'm pretty sure was flooded with busty women, and gave me a look. "What makes you think I'm a womanizer?"

I lifted my eyebrow and took a drink of my lemonade. "I just know guys like you; always complimenting a girl just to get in their pants."

"Wow!" he exclaimed with a slight smirk, looking away for a second. "Was that your first impression of me – that I was some guy who wanted to sleep with you? Or was that your second one since you assumed I was a thief yesterday? This is your second day and you're already judging me," he stated in a serious tone. I found myself almost standing in a very uncomfortable position when he glanced at me.

I didn't know what else to say. I am not that good at first impressions. I'm actually really bad at meeting people because I have this sudden urge to judge them. I guess living in a city is pretty hard on a girl. It's too crowded and there are more people to meet than there are over here. In order for me to remember some of the people in the city, I depend on their first impressions. Whether they are rude at first or really shy, I keep that in mind like a warning to myself. It's like a big "WATCH OUT FOR HIM OR HER, THEY MIGHT GET YA" flashing in my head when I see them again. It's like I don't know about the extra layers in the inside.

Finally, I heard him chuckle. "I was kidding. I'm not that sensitive."

I was relieved. I thought I hit a soft spot on this boy. Good thing I didn't because I was going to feel terrible for expecting more than I should have. "You scared me."

"You should be. First impressions aren't really great. There's more to people around this town than you think or any other town," he said with a comforting smile. "Just to help you out around here, try to read people better. Sometimes reacting so suddenly based on first impressions can be harmful. So try learning that this summer. K?"

I nodded. He was right. I really need to work on that. But then I began to wonder, was I right about him? Was he really a womanizer or was he just playing with my mind? It's like I'm Little Red Riding Hood and he's the wolf. And I'm trying to uncover the person beneath the surface.

"There's Jon and Eliza. I guess I better go help them out," Nathan spoke and said nothing else as he walked away.

_**R&R**_


	4. Chapter 3 Hang Me Up To Dry

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thank you for all the wonderful replies. I was starting to lose inspiration for a while but luckily I decided to write down what I was going to do for the future chapters just so I wouldn't forget. Well here's the next chapter. A few family characters will be introduced into the chapter! Enjoy! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! :)**

* * *

_**Chapter 3 //Hang Me Up To Dry**_

"Isn't this cute Hales?" my grandmother asked, pulling out a coral colored dress from the rack.

I nodded, pleased by the dress and looked around me at the rest of the clothes in the boutique. It had been a week since I came to town. I was slowly getting used to this place. The streets weren't always busy and the night sky wasn't so bad to look at before I went to sleep. The people were kind, at least those that I have been acquainted with. Jonathan, the assistant baker of MO's bakery, was a jolly man. He kind of reminded me of Santa Clause but around his thirties. He showed me a few tips on how to pipe icing on a cake without getting messy. I even chatted with the ever-so pale, ghost hunting Eliza a few times. She wasn't exactly normal but she wasn't exactly weird either. Eliza had the tendency to ramble on about some of the ghosts around town. Although the stories were interesting, I tried to block them out. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat. I'll admit that. I'm not too fond of ghosts.

It became routine to visit the bakery every day. Olivia, my grandmother, had the duty to walk in and take care of the place every morning, afternoon and sometimes evening. She owned it, so of course she had to be there every day. But I also noticed that she was never working, she was only checking in and giving orders. Merriam was always there though. She was always baking up a storm in her very own personal area in the kitchen. It was quite amusing to see her focusing so passionately on a piece of apple pie. She just had to have the right amount of cinnamon sprinkled on top.

I even saw Nathan a few times, but we never had the time to talk. He was always out delivering cakes or hanging out with some of his friends. I wasn't surprised though. It was summer after all and guys like him wouldn't want to spend most of his days in a bakery.

But through the week, Olivia's been showing me the popular dress shops and fancy restaurants around town. We stopped by this place called William's Steak House. She told me that she and my grandfather had their first date there. It wasn't all that romantic since it was a place full of meat and beer. There was no caviar or squid, just a good joint with amazing food. The interior was like the inside of a wooden cottage. From the entrance there was a bar with a man named Williams III with a long red beard serving beer, whiskey, and etc. to everyone of legal age. Red booths were aligned along the walls that were decorated with old western movie posters. There was even a jukebox blaring old tunes at the corner of the restaurant. The place was very old fashioned. I liked it. Not only was the interior amazing, but the food was mouth watering. I think I had the best prime ribs in the whole country. I was satisfied when I exited the place.

"Sweetie, this blouse would look fabulous on you!" my grandmother stated as she put a gorgeous white shirt in front of me. "I think this would look good against your peach skin, don't you think?"

I looked at the mirror across from us and smiled. She was right. This shirt would look good against my skin. Who knew my grandmother still had style?

"I think I might get it," I stated.

She grinned and returned to the racks. "So do you like this place?"

"I think I'm in love," I replied.

We were in a store called Gemini which contained a bunch of bohemian chic outfits. I took a quick interest in it because I had this infatuation with the bohemian lifestyle. I loved the whole unconventional and spirituality of it. It was an artistic lifestyle where people didn't give a shit about status, wealth and ect. They lived a carefree life and that's what I really loved. They had the ability to express themselves through their art without having the approval of others.

That's something my grandmother also had in her. She was very spiritual and faith driven. When I had a few hardships in my life, she would write me letters about how life can sometimes run off course, but eventually it'll come back. We might not be able to go back to the past and fix our mistakes, but we'll be able to learn from them and continue on. This life we live is only filled with lessons and obstacles that we must face to fully understand the meaning of life itself.

"I'll write that down somewhere," Olivia stated as she grabbed a pen and a little notepad from her purse. I noticed that she's been carrying that around a notepad a lot lately and jotting things down as we visit stores and restaurants. She started writing something on it and looked up at me. "I just want to write it down for future reference," she winked.

I couldn't help but be amused. I just nodded my head and she put it back into her purse. Afterwards, we gathered a few more pieces of clothing, jewelry, and hats before we checked out. I bought the white blouse she showed me, a couple brown and turquoise beaded bracelets, a fedora, some scarves and some jeans and shirts; whereas, my grandmother bought a lot of skirts and scarves.

As we were walking down the sidewalks of downtown, I grew interested in her notepad that she's been writing in lately. It's as if she's making notes, so I asked. "Gram, why are you always carrying that around?"

She obviously had it in her hand already, reading down the supposed list that she had written. At least that's what it looked like when I took a quick glimpse of it.

"Oh, I'm just making notes of all your favorite spots here," she replied.

"Why?"

She was hesitant as she looked at me. "You know, just in case you come back to visit again. To make sure I know where to bring you."

I liked her answer. I gave her a side hug and said, "I'll definitely make more visits."

We continued to walk down the streets and she would point out her favorite boutiques. She even pointed out the Bingo Club House, where she obviously plays bingo on the weekends. I figured it was just an old person thing to do, but she told me that she's seen a few youngsters playing there and winning a bunch of money.

"I'll take you there one day," she stated. I giggled at the thought but I quickly stopped when I heard her coughing. It sounded really bad. It was very low and raspy as she coughed more and more.

"Are you okay, Gram?" I asked, stopping in front of a store.

She held her hand against her mouth and started nodding her hand. "Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'm catching a sore throat. The weather's been up and down lately. I guess my poor body can't take it," she smiled.

"Well, we'll grab some water and juice when we get home," I suggested.

When we were about to continue walking again, I heard a few muffled voices from the store beside us. The voices were quickly getting louder as two people walked out laughing about something. One of them was Peyton Sawyer and the other one was a brunette with a bunch of bags hanging off her arm.

"Oh hey Haley," Peyton greeted looking at me and then looking at Olivia. "Olivia."

"Hey," I replied.

"What are you two up to?" Peyton asked, as she looked down at our shopping bags.

"Shopping, apparently," I replied lifting up the bags. I really hated random encounters like this. It was awkward and never planned out. You make small talk – I hate small talk – then you leave. That's it. Moments like these are to never ever be remembered in the future.

"Gemini's?" the brunette questioned. She looked disgusted as she read the label from my gray bags. "Nobody ever shops there except maybe that Eliza girl," she stated.

I looked down at her black bags and noticed that she ad a Victoria Secret bag. From the looks of it, she was obviously shopping for slut-wear. I could tell that she was a whore especially since she was wearing a tight red halter top and really low jeans that almost seemed like her thong could be seen. This will now be remembered and added into my 'First Impressions' list.

"I shop there sometimes, Brooke," Peyton snapped.

"But you're different, Peyton. You're at least normal," the girl, who I believe was named Brooke, stated.

I turned to my grandmother and she just smiled, being polite like always. I am guessing Brooke didn't like Eliza. Of course, I shouldn't e surprised to hear people talk about Eliza like that, she wasn't exactly Miss Girl Next Door, but we've become friends. I felt offended for her.

"Don't mind her. She's a little shallow," Peyton apologized. Brooke slapped her on the arm and pouted. "By the way, this is my best friend Brooke Davis."

"Nice to meet you," she greeted as she held out her hand as I shook it. She gave me a quick smile before it disappeared.

Then it was silent. No one said a word to the other. We just kept on glancing at each other as if we were waiting for someone to speak up. Olivia didn't say one word because, of course, she was being a cool adult and decided to let me talk to my peers. After a long moment of silence, Brooke finally broke it.

"Peyton, I think we should start heading out. We have to get ready for tonight," Brooke stated obviously feeling the uncomfortable silence.

"Oh yeah, well I guess I'll see you around, Haley," Peyton stated. Then she walked up to Olivia and asked if she was doing fine, she nodded, and then they both walked off. Brooke didn't even look back. Bitch.

"Aren't they nice?" Gram asked as continued to walk.

"Peyton's nice, the other one not so much," I stated.

"Oh, don't pass judgment, Hales. You might be surprised."

"I feel like everything in this place is filled with surprises," I stated. I heard a chuckle, with another cough, and she smiled up at me.

"This is what Tree Hill is like, sweetie. The people here aren't always what they seem to be," Gram stated.

--------

After we finished shopping, we headed to the bakery. Nathan was working at the register when we entered. The place wasn't really busy so he was just sitting there in his chair with his legs propped on top of the counter with a sports magazine in his hands. Olivia and I headed to the back and Nathan didn't take one look at us.

The minute we stepped into the kitchen we heard a bowl fall on the ground. We could still hear it spinning on the tile floor.

"Look what you did!" Jonathan yelled as he bent down to grab the tin bowl. Eliza was just standing there, trying to clean up the flower that was spread all over the counter with a wet rag.

"I'm sorry, Jon."

"All you do is apologize for everything," Jonathan complained as he placed the bowl on the counter and quickly walked over to the corner of the kitchen to grab the broom.

"What in the world is going on here?" my grandmother asked as we both rounded the corner of the counter and looked at the mess on the floor.

"We were trying to create a new cake mix, but miss clumsy here keeps messing up everything," he answered as he swept the mixed ingredients scattered all over Olivia's tile floors. I looked over at a hurt Eliza at the end of the counter. She was just standing there watching as Jon swept all the mess that she made and didn't say a word. She looked up and gave me an apologetic smile and stepped away.

Olivia walked over to Jonathan and quickly grabbed the broom because he wasn't doing it right. "You have to be patient with her Jon. If you keep pushing her and pressuring her, things will never go right," she advised without looking at him.

"But Olivia –"

"Don't. I'm tired of hearing your complaining, Jon."

I heard him mumble something to her and they continued on a conversation about patience and kindness. He almost seemed like a child in a play pen who's been picking on an innocent baby and he was getting scolded for it.

I glanced to my side and found Eliza sitting at her station and I walked over to her to see if she was fine.

"Hey," I greeted.

She was drawing what appeared to be a cake on a note pad on her table. There was a word above the picture that looked like she just scratched it on. It started with the letter D and ended with a T. I think it said draft.

"Look, if you're here to give me some sympathy, I'm not in the mood," she said, darkening the outline of the cake.

"I know, but I just wanted to make sure you were fine. Jonathan was a little harsh," I stated, looking back and noticing that my grandmother and Jon were still talking amongst themselves.

"He's always been a big lard ass," she replied. "I just take it to the next level. It's not my fault that I have a habit of bumping my elbow against flower bags or the sugar boxes."

"I'm pretty clumsy too, so I know where you're coming from," I responded. "You're a good baker, don't let him tell you other wise." She stopped sketching on her notebook and looked up.

"Thanks, Haley," she smiled. Then she returned to her drawing, observed it for a moment, and then started drawing little decorations on the cake. "Do you bake?" she asked without taking her eyes off the paper.

I laughed a bit and shook my head, "not that well. My mom's taught me a few things, but she's not that great of a cook either."

"Maybe you could work here with me for the summer," she suggested. "I'd actually have someone who won't complain when I work."

"I – I don't know."

She stopped drawing and glanced at me. "What are you going to do all summer? Sit at your grandmother's house and wait for something to happen?"

"No, I'm sure there are more things to do around here."

"Just work here, please. I can teach you how to bake a few cakes and you already know how to pipe icing. Jon taught you. Please," she begged.

I took a moment to think about this. I was staying here for the whole summer, and she was right about the whole sitting at home thing. I didn't want to do that. I guess having a summer job wasn't so bad. I looked over at my grandmother who was now finished scolding Jonathan and was now picking up a few extra egg shells off the counter.

"I guess I could. That's only if my grandmother approves."

She gave me a look. "Of course she's going to say yes. She's a co-owner _and_ your grandmother," Eliza stated.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked us as she dropped the egg shells into the trash beside us.

Eliza nodded her head, signaling me to ask her about the job and I sighed. Olivia stood there waiting for an answer as I turned on my heel towards her. "Eliza suggested that I work here, and so I thought about it and wondered if it was okay if I did?"

"Eliza put you up to this, huh?"

We both nodded in unison and she slowly put a smile on her face. "Two teenage girls – who are both clumsy by the way- working in the same kitchen? I don't know about that," she joked.

"Please, Olivia. I think I'd work ten times better if Haley was here with me. I need someone my age working around me," Eliza pleaded.

"We have Nathan," Olivia stated.

"Nathan's a guy and he doesn't even work in the kitchen."

Olivia sighed deeply and nodded. "I guess you can work here."

"When can I start?" I asked.

"How 'bout you practice for a week before you start baking things for customers. I heard that you weren't much of a baker, "she joked, referring to the letters I sent her about my disastrous bake sale in middle school.

"I'm sure I'll be better this time," I replied. She patted my shoulder and returned to the other workers at their stations and checked on them.

For about an hour, Eliza was teaching me how to make a few mini goods like chocolate lollipops, and yogurt covered pretzels dipped in sprinkles. It was actually fun and tasty at the same time. Nathan popped in a few times, stealing a few and eating them. I would slap him every time and he'd laugh and leave.

Once we were done, I decided to hang out with Nathan at the front for a bit since Eliza was assigned to bake a mocha cake. I walked towards the register and noticed that he had earphones on and his Ipod in his hands. I propped myself on to the stool chair next to him and hit him on the leg that was on top of the counter.

"What are you listening to?" I asked.

He kept nodding his head to the beat of the song that was playing and didn't even glance at me.

"Hello, is anybody in there?" I asked again, waving my hand across his face. He stopped nodding his hand and looked over at me as he removed his earphones.

"Hey, sorry. I was really getting into the song," he apologized. "That's what Lil Wayne does to ya."

"Right," I replied.

"By the way, you're doing a really good job back there. The yogurt covered pretzels are amazing," he complimented.

"Eliza made the mixture, I just dipped the pretzels in the bowl," I laughed.

"Well so far so good," he replied. He placed his Ipod on the counter and pulled his stool closer to me. "So you're going to be working here with me, I hear."

"I'm actually going to be working with _Eliza_ in the kitchen," I answered. "She begged me to."

In this view, I noticed the little freckle underneath Nathan's right eye. I thought it was adorable. And the blue in his eyes looked more like a mixture of green and blue rather than just blue.

"Sounds good to me. That means I get to see you more often," he replied with a smirk on his face.

I smiled at him and shyly looked away to avoid eye contact. I could still feel him looking at me and I started growing more and more uncomfortable. The last time I let a guy make me feel this way was Aaron. Of course because he was actually nice to me in the beginning and then soon enough he started becoming the guy that crushed me back in elementary school. Aaron was only putting a front for me. I just hope whoever Nathan Scott was; he wasn't putting a front for me either.

The entrance opened, making a jingle sound, and we both looked up at the figure. It was a blonde haired guy wearing a grey hoodie that said "Tree Hill Fire Department". He had his hands in his pockets when he slowly approached us. He first looked at Nathan, then at me, then back at Nathan.

"I knew I smelled ass from blocks away," Nathan called out. The guy chuckled and stood in front of the counter.

"Very funny, little brother," the guy stated. "I just wanted to come by and ask if you were coming tonight."

"Damn straight, I am," Nathan replied. I just sat there, trying to hide myself under an invisible cloak while I played with the wrapper on one of the chocolate candies I grabbed from the basket.

"Good because everyone's expecting you to go. It wouldn't be a party without both the Scotts," the guy said. I figured that they were brothers but they didn't look anything a like. Nathan had very dark hair with greenish blue eyes and the other guy had bright blonde hair, almost a dirty blonde, with brighter blue eyes. But they did have something in common; they were both good looking.

They started mumbling about something about beer and beach balls when I felt them both turn to me.

"Oh this is Haley," Nathan stated. "She's Olivia's granddaughter."

The blondie nodded at me with a smile and leaned over to shake my hand. "Oh yeah, I heard about you. I'm Lucas, his brother."

"Half." Nathan corrected. I looked over at him with a curious face. "It's a long story." I nodded. Their outer appearance made sense now.

"Long story short, we have the same father and different mothers," Lucas explained.

I nodded. I finally unwrapped the chocolate and popped into my mouth to keep my mouth useful.

"So I heard you're from California, which part?" Lucas asked.

"San Francisco," I answered.

"They probably have crazier parties there, huh?" I nodded. I wasn't much of a partier or a drinker, because my mother told me as I was growing up that drunken girls and sluts aren't attractive. That's exactly what came out of her mouth. I'm not kidding. But San Francisco did have some pretty hard core parties, at least some of the ones I've been to and heard of. I know Aarons been to every one that was held in high school. It was part of the lies he told me. When he would say he was going to watch football at his friend's house, he was actually getting wasted at some girl's house.

"Speaking of parties, there's a bonfire going on tonight. You should come," Lucas suggested.

"I don't know," I replied.

"Come on. It's summer. I'm sure you don't want to be hanging around here all day," Lucas stated looking around the bakery. I looked over at Nathan who just shrugged his shoulders. "It'll be fun."

"Yeah, you should come," Nathan stated. "There will be beach balls," he added.

I laughed and thought for a second. This was the second time today that someone's pressured me into doing something that I wasn't exactly sure about. First Eliza was telling me to grab a summer job here and now these two boys are convincing me to go to a party tonight. I feel like the people here don't take no for an answer. "I guess I'll go," I replied.

"Great, I'll see you there," Lucas stated winking. "Don't forget the booze, Nate." He nodded and then Lucas left, tucking his hands in his pocket again.

"I really need to work on not giving in to peer-pressure," I sighed, placing my face into my hands. I heard him chuckle and grab a chocolate candy from the basket beside me.

"Start working on it for tonight. Everyone's going to be shoving beer bottles in your face every where you go," he laughed.

"Oh god," I moaned.

"Don't worry I'll take care of you if you start having too much fun. I'll drive us," he suggested. I lifted my face from my hands and glance at me.

"I'm not going to get wasted," I stated.

"We'll see," he smirked.

_**R&R**_


	5. Chapter 4 Highway to Hell

A/N: Hey everyone! I am back with another update. Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews. I'm glad you're all excited for the bonfire/party. It's going to be an interesting night. I'll tell you that. I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's pretty long. Well I love you! I'd love hear/read what you think! Please read and review :)

xoxo, Annie

* * *

_**Chapter 4// Highway to Hell**_

"Ugh this is ugly!" I grumbled as I removed the yellow T-shirt that I had on and walked towards the closet.

I had about an hour before Nathan was coming over to pick me up for the bonfire tonight, and I still didn't have anything to wear. I only had on a pair of blue jean shorts and well . . . a black bikini. I couldn't figure out what top I wanted to wear. It was stressing the hell out of me. I could walk out of here with just my bikini and I would've been fine, but since Nathan was picking me up I wasn't going to risk that. He was a guy after all.

"Haley, honey." I turned away from the closet and noticed my grandmother slowly opening the door.

"Hey," I greeted as I reached over to grab my red and black tanks.

"What are you doing?" she asked, walking closer. I realized that I was still in my bikini top and gave her an apologetic look. I quickly put the black tank on and stepped in front of the vanity mirror.

"I'm trying to find a nice top to wear tonight. I can't seem to find the right one," I explained.

"That one looks good," she said, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

I turned a little and looked at my figure and sighed. "I don't know. It looks too plain," I said tugging the shirt down. "I like the style of it. Maybe if I wear the red one –" I quickly grabbed the red one, removed the black one, tossed it on the ground and slipped on the red strappy tank.

"Yeah, I agree. The black one was too plain," Gram stated as she smiled at me in the mirror.

I smiled back, blew out a relieving breath and picked up the mess I made on the floor.

"So Nathan's coming to pick you up, right?" she asked.

I held the pile of clothes in my arms and walked towards the closet and tossed them inside. "Yep," I answered. I turned around and she glared at me. I knew it was because of the way I just threw my clothes in the closet, but I was in a hurry. I had no time to neatly put them back on their hangers.

"I'll clean it up when I get back," I said. "I promise." She nodded and the glare in her eyes disappeared.

On the way home from the bakery earlier today, I told her about the invite to the bonfire. She was surprisingly enthused that I was going out with the Scott brothers tonight. She knew that there was going to be drinking and she had no problem with that. At home, my parents would've made a fit if they knew that I drank before. Olivia was the only one in the family who knew. I had written her a few letters about some of my bad experiences at parties. She thought it was funny and even shared her own experiences during her high school years. My grandmother was not Miss Innocent back then.

"I'm glad that you and Nathan are becoming friends."

I grabbed the Chap Stick from my purse and starting applying it on my lips. "Yeah, me too. He's not too bad."

She let out a small chuckle as she started randomly fluffing my pillows. "So, do you think he's cute?"

I scoffed. "I - I don't know," I replied. I stopped applying the Chap Stick and shoved it back into my purse.

"Come on now. Be honest," she stated.

I pouted for a moment and rolled my eyes. I wasn't going to deny it. Nathan was a very handsome guy. He had a full head of raven black hair and amazingly blue-green eyes. And he definitely owned a nice body. He didn't even have to flex for his muscles to show. And his smile wasn't so bad to look at either. "Fine, yes. I think he's cute."

"Aw!" she cried out, as she stopped fluffing the pillows.

I started to get embarrassed. "But that's it, Gram. There's no attraction between us," I stated, hoping that she believed me.

She started nodding. "Okay, if that's what you're making yourself believe."

"It's true. I am not attracted to Nathan Scott."

"It's a shame," she began. "You two would've made such an adorable couple."

"Grandma," I whined.

"You know, a lot of girls would kill to be in your position right now – waiting patiently for Nathan Scott to come pick you up," she smiled.

"He's just giving me a ride to the bonfire, Grams," I stated. "Nothing more," I added as I turned around to pick a bobby pin from the box and pinned my bangs away from my face.

She noticed that I didn't want to be teased anymore and walked behind me. She placed her little chin against my shoulder and looked at our reflection in the mirror.

"Well, I'll be downstairs. When Nathan arrives, I'll call you," she said. "I hope you have fun tonight, but don't have too much fun. I still want you in once piece please." I let out a small giggled and she softly squeezed my shoulders before she left the room.

For the next hour and a half, I laid across my bed observing every little cell on the ceiling. I felt like I was lying there for a whole decade. Who knew an hour and a half could feel this long? I glanced at the clock – nine thirty – then sat up on my bed, glancing at the door hoping I would hear a soft knock or door bell, but there was still no sound. All I heard were people speaking followed by a laughing audience. Olivia was obviously watching some sitcom on TV.

I let out a deep moan and started thinking of possibilities of why Nathan was thirty minutes late. Did he get in a wreck on the way here? Maybe he decided not to go and went to bed early? Or it could be the fact that he really didn't want to bring me and decided to go to the bonfire on his own. I pouted at myself in the mirror across from me and slammed back down against the bed. The minute I hit the mattress, the door bell rang. My eyes widened. I quickly jumped off my bed and slowly eased the door open. I heard my grandmother opening the front door and excitedly greeted who I assumed was Nathan.

"She's upstairs. I'll call her," I heard her say. "HALEY!" she cried out.

I sprinted across the room to grab my tiny purse and headed downstairs. "Coming!"

Once I approached the foyer area, I saw Nathan standing outside the door with Olivia smiling beside him. He was wearing a blue polo shirt with plaid shorts – just the kind I like.

"Hey," I greeted, walking out of the darkness of the hallway and into the light of the porch.

"Hey," he replied. I noticed his eyes looking me up and down. I immediately felt the blood rush in my face.

"You two have fun," Olivia stated. "You take care of her Nathan," she advised, pointing at him with a serious expression.

"Don't worry. She's my responsibility," he smirked.

We both said goodbye and headed towards his car. It was a 1973 Dodge Charger in the shade of red. It was so old fashioned. I really didn't expect that of him. I was thinking he was more of a mustang or corvette type of guy. I guess he was right about reading people better.

When I climbed into his car, it smelled like fresh lemons from the car freshener hanging from his rear view mirror. I looked at the back and noticed that it was cluttered with magazines, shoes, and a basketball. I also noticed two bottles of alcohol on the seat.

"Sorry for the mess," he said. "I didn't get to fix it before I picked you up."

"It's fine," I replied. He reached over to grab the pieces of paper around my foot area and tossed it to the back. "As long as I have leg room, I'll be fine."

He let out a chuckle and we started heading off on the main road. I noticed that he had a built in CD player and stereo in his car. It was set on a rap station so it started blaring hip hop music as soon he started the car. I listened to some hip hop, but some of the songs appalled me just like the one that was playing right now. It was talking about girls in their thongs, shaking their booties on the dance floor and drinking gold cups of Patron. So I reached over to change the station to something that was appealing to my ears and brain.

"Hey!" Nathan cried out. "I was listening to that!"

"Now you're not," I smiled. He quickly glanced at me with his piercing blue eyes and turned on a curve on the highway.

I turned the knob and tried to find a decent station. I wasn't familiar with the stations in town so I had to depend on what song was playing to determine if I found the right one.

"Did you find anything good yet?" Nathan asked.

"Nope," I replied. "Do you have a rock or alternative station?"

"Um,"he started slowing the car at the stop light and took charge of the station. "I think so." He began turning the knob to the left as bits and pieces of different radio stations were heard. After a few seconds of searching he finally landed on a Rogue Wave song.

"Is that good?" he asked, as the light turned green and started driving again.

The song that was playing was Endless Shovel and I nodded pleased. He didn't seem to know the song but I noticed him nodding his head to the beat of the instrumental part. I smiled at the sight and started tapping my hand against my lap.

We did that for at least a minute or so before the song began to fade. Then it was silent again and a new song came on. It was really soft and calming so there wasn't anything to jam to. As soon as we started driving along a straight road, he rolled down the windows and rested his elbow there. The wind was blowing really hard against my face so I rolled it back up. I looked to my side and studied him for a little bit. He was sitting back with one arm against the steering wheel – his muscles flexing - looking almost like James Dean. The small strands of his hair flowed back and forth as the wind blew against them. Then I looked away and observed his dashboard which was scattered with different CDs. I reached out to pick one and read the label – AC/DC. I smiled and lifted my eyebrow at the cover.

"You're a fan?" I asked, motioning the case towards him.

I glanced at it and nodded his head. "Kind of, my dad let me borrow it for a while. I just started listening to them."

"_Just_ started?" I asked loudly, above the sound of the gushing wind and music that was still playing on the radio. "AC/DC are legends."

I heard him chuckle. "I know they are. I just never really got in to them," Nathan replied as he slowed down at another stop light. "I'm guessing that you're a big fan," he said turning to me.

"Not a big fan, but I am a fan," I answered as I opened the album case and inserted the CD into the stereo. "My parents would always play their old school music around the house when I was younger. So I pretty much grew up listening to musicians like The Beatles, Patsy Cline, AC/DC and Frank Sinatra."

The music began to play as the light turned green. For the next ten minutes we discussed our favorite musicians and albums. He told some of the names of artists that he was interested in. He named a couple famous stars now like Jay-Z and Diddy, but he also named various artists like Jack's Mannequin and Butch Walker. I was surprised to hear him talk about that kind of music, but then he mentioned Peyton introducing a couple of artists to him. So that made sense.

Soon enough, we finally made our way to the beach. The parking was so unorganized. There were cars trapped within other cars. Some were parked in odd angles. And others were almost buried in the sand. We both shook our heads at the sight and searched for a better parking space. I looked out my window and noticed the party near the shore. There were people in trunks, bikinis and beer in their hands. I could hear music blaring through the window as I stared. Then I noticed some guy pick a girl up and carried her over his shoulder.

"Damnit!" Nathan cursed. I turned away from the window and looked over at him. "Stupid bitch took my spot!" I looked in the front of us and noticed a black 1968 Comet easing onto the grass. Nathan didn't move one inch and stared longingly at the car. The back lights turned off and the doors opened, revealing the driver and its passengers.

Peyton Sawyer climbed out of the car in a leather jacket, white shirt and shorts. She glanced at us and lightly waved before she slammed her door. Climbing out of the other side was Lucas. He was wearing a gray tee with a cursive logo on it and blue shorts. Following him was none other than Brooke Davis. Lucas closed the door and noticed that we were staring from the car. He saw the look on Nathan's face and slapped his knee in amusement. Brooke turned to us, lifting her eyebrow and turned away.

Brooke linked arms with Lucas and mumbled something to him that caused him to turn away from us. They both started towards the bonfire as Peyton locked her car and approached us with her hands in her jacket. She leaned into Nathan's window and smiled.

"Sorry, Scott. I found it first," she said, scrunching her nose. Nathan made a face and glanced at me. "But there's a little bit of space left next to us. Just park there," she added, motioning towards the spot next to them.

Peyton looked past Nathan and found me sitting there quietly.

"Oh. Hey Haley. I didn't know you were coming," she stated.

"Yeah, me either," I replied.

"It's good that you came," she smiled then glanced at Nathan. "But why did you go with him?" she joked.

I shrugged lightly, looking over at Nathan who was starting to get annoyed. I heard a beep from behind us and we all looked back.

"I guess, I'll let you guys go," Peyton stated. "I'll meet you guys by the fire," she added before she stood up straight, stared at the car behind us and flicked them off before she walked away.

I giggled to myself as she disappeared into the crowd. Nathan slowly eased into the space next to her car and put it into park.

"How do you know Peyton?" I asked as he pulled his keys out of the ignition.

"We've been friends since middle school. She punched me in the face the second week of sixth grade," he confessed. He leaned towards the back seat and grabbed the two bottles he brought.

"No she didn't!"

"I swear she did. Ask her," he replied, tucking the bottles underneath his arm and climbed out of the car. I did the same.

"And how did that happen?" I asked as he locked the car and started walking off the grassy area and onto the sand. I followed.

"Well, I accidentally elbowed her in the hallway one day and then BAM – she hit me right across the face," he explained, reenacting the moment. I let out a small giggle and shook my ahead, amused.

"Did she apologize?" I asked as we started passing a few people.

"Yeah, the second after she punched me she apologized. She felt so bad that she offered to buy me lunch that day," he replied, thinking about that moment in his head. "After that we just became good friends. She still punches me now and then, but not in the face," he added.

"There you are!" someone called out as we both were now closer to the crowd. The glow of the bonfire reflected across Peyton's skin as she approached us with two beers in her hands. She handed me one and kept the other one when she noticed what Nathan was holding under his arm.

"For Lucas and Brooke?" she asked, nodding at his arm. He looked down, pulled them out of his arm and held both bottles of Patron and Crown in his hands.

"Yep, they specifically asked for them," he replied. "Do you know where they went?"

I glanced at him and curiously wondered how he was able to buy them. I twisted the cap off my bottle and took a quick swig. I was about to ask him about it, but I decided not to.

"The last that I saw of them was over by the shore," Peyton replied. "Who knows where those two went," she added, searching around the crowd. I looked around as well and noticed that a bunch of people were dancing and grinding against each other while the music played. Arms were hanging up in the air with beer bottles in their hands. Others were sitting around the bonfire, listening to a guy play his acoustic guitar and the rest were running around in their bathing suits and trunks laughing.

"I guess I'll go find them. I don't want to carry these around all night," Nathan stated. He looked over at me and told me he'd back and started walking past the crowd. I watched him as he left, nodding his head at a few people he knew, and then he disappeared.

"Did he offer you a ride?" Peyton asked, walking to the side of me and taking a swig of her drink.

I glanced at her for a second, noticing how defined her curly blonde hair was, and then turned away.

"Yeah," I answered. She quickly looked over at me, eyes wide. "Why?" I asked.

"Well, Nathan doesn't really offer rides to girls that often. He doesn't even offer me a ride," she replied as she took another sip from her bottle. "He only offers rides to girls he's interested in." She looked at me with a smile. "He's obviously interested in you."

"No, he's not," I replied.

"Haley, I've known the boy since sixth grade. I know when he has eyes for someone."

"Well I don't believe it. "

"And why is that?"

"I've only been here for a week. How could he already be interested?" I questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders and eyed the crowd. "Beats me, but you've obviously got something that he likes," she smiled.

I gazed at her for a second, confused a bit. I looked away, took another sip from my bottle and thought about what she said. I don't think it was possible and nor did I believe a word that came out of her mouth. Yeah, Nathan had been nice to me ever since I arrived, but I didn't think it was because he was interested. I stopped thinking about it for a moment and observed the crowd trying to erase it from my mind.

Nathan was gone for a while so Peyton and I talked about how her, Brooke, Lucas and Nathan. She told me that she and Brooke have been friends ever since they were born. Brooke was an only child, so her parents gave her everything that she wanted. She came from a wealthy family just like Peyton which made them two of the most popular girls in school. Brooke leaned more into the wild side of things whereas Peyton leaned more into the less dramatic and artistic side. Since Nathan and Peyton were friends in middle school, Brooke got acquainted with his brother Lucas. Soon enough, Lucas and Brooke started dating around their sophomore year in high school. Then eventually their popularity grew as Nathan and Lucas joined the school's basketball team. Everyone wanted to be friends with them, date them, or even be them. Peyton didn't think she was all that great, neither did Nathan and Lucas, but Brooke loved all the attention. She was just that type of girl.

I started to feel intimidated now. I was standing by one of the supposed socialites in town and I was the new girl who was probably just a nobody back at home. Something felt totally imbalanced here.

By the time Nathan finally showed up, I began to feel the buzz from the one beer that I had. I was a light weight. When he came over, he didn't arrive alone. Lucas and Brooke followed as he approached us, both holding the bottles Nathan bought.

"Where were ya'll?" Peyton asked.

Brooke took a quick glance at me and finally gave me a little smile for the first time all day.

"We were just by the shore talking to people," Brooke replied, glancing at Peyton.

"Haley, you made it," Lucas stated, coming towards me with arms wide open. I gave him a quick hug because obviously he was coming over for one. When we parted, I could smell the alcohol in his breath. He was obviously drinking the crown.

"Yeah because Nathan brought her," Peyton stated, wiggling her eyebrows.

Nathan just stood there, drinking the beer he had, oblivious to what Peyton was emphasizing. Brooke seemed to have gotten the memo as I watched her eyes widened.

"Oh, he did, did he?" she nodded. She turned to me and leaned in asking, "What did you have to do to get him to say yes? Did you have to strip for him? Or give him he –"

"Brooke!" Peyton cut in. Nathan spit out the liquid from his mouth. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand as I just stood there, speechless and offended.

"What?" she cried out, her eyebrows arching. "I was just asking the girl a question."

"Well it was rude," Peyton replied.

Peyton turned to me with an apologetic expression and said , "She's a little drunk. She doesn't know what she's saying."

I felt hurt and somehow humiliated. If she was trying to be funny, she did a really bad job at it. I just stared at Peyton, glanced at Brooke and the rest of the guys hoping that they didn't see that I was offended.

"Um, it's fine," I lied. "I'm just . . ." I looked around me and pointed to a random direction. ". . .going to go over there," I said holding in my emotions. I slowly turned on my heel and walked somewhere farther than where they were.

"Sheesh, she's sensitive," I heard Brooke state with my back towards them as I walked.

**R&R**


	6. Chapter 5 Nothing but the Water

A/N: Hey everyone! Thank for all the wonderful replies. I totally appreciate them a lot. I'm glad you all like the story, I was hoping you would. And to those who are reading my other story, Underaged Love, don't worry I will be updating that soon. That story is almost coming to an end, so I really want the last couple of chapters to be really good and not rushed. I hope you understand. Anyways, here's the next chapter. It continues right where Chapter 4 left off. READ AND REVIEW. I want to know what think :)

--Annie

* * *

_**Chapter 5//Nothing But the Water**_

As I was walking away, I heard the sound of sand moving against each other behind me. I threw the bottle I was carrying out on the sand and folded my arms across my chest, dodging people as they past. I knew the moment that I stepped out of that airplane that I didn't belong here. San Francisco was a friendly place; everyone kept to themselves a lot, so I was okay with people not knowing who I was. Here, it was a different story. Since the town was smaller, people knew almost everything about everyone. They even knew who I was before I even entered town.

"Hey." I turned to my side and found Nathan walking beside me. I tried to give him a smile and slowly turned away. "Brooke's usually not like that. It's just the alcohol talking," he stated.

It definitely wasn't the alcohol. I didn't say a word. I was too upset to speak. I was also afraid that if I opened my mouth, it would start trembling and then I'd begin to cry. I got hurt a lot back in San Fran. I was rejected, I was back stabbed, and I was even cheated on. Sometimes when so many things happen to you in a lifetime, you train yourself to stop the tears from coming. Like right now, I was trying so hard to hold in all of my emotions. I didn't want to cry in front of him or any of these people.

"Haley, are you okay?" he asked, noticing the silence I was giving him. "I could bring you home if you want to."

I stopped and I looked up at him. "We just got here," I said. "And I'm fine," I lied and then suddenly I felt my chin tremble.

"But I can tell that you're upset," he replied.

My nerves were taking over and I didn't want it to. I wanted it to stop. I didn't want to cry here. That was the last thing on my list of priorities for this summer. I took in a deep breath and I forced myself to put on a happy face for him. "No, I'm totally fine," I lied again, feeling the guilt building up inside of me. "It was just the alcohol talking right?"'

I continued to smile at him as he started to observe and analyze my face. He squinted his eyes at me, detecting the façade that I was trying to pull. I knew that he saw past the smile, but he went along with it anyways. I wanted him to know that I was going to be fine, even though I wasn't.

"Alright then. Let's get another drink. Maybe it'll stop you from lying to me," he stated as I glanced up at him. He looked back with a smirk and we continued to walk. He placed his hands in the pockets of his shorts as we made our way towards the bonfire.

There were a couple of guys there, holding up a girl above a keg. One guy yelled out Nathan's name as he held the girl's leg in the air. Nathan waved at him and continued to walk with me towards the cooler. He opened it and grabbed himself a beer and then tossed one over to me. I caught it, quickly twisted the cap and sipped it. A couple more girls past by us smiling and greeting Nathan like a couple of giggly little girls.

A guy walked past us, glanced at me and then nodded at Nathan with this creepy smile, Nathan nodded back. I curiously watched the guy leave and then turned to Nathan as he sipped his drink. If that nod had some guy-ish meaning to it, I was going to be an angry girl. I quickly looked away from him and tried to search for Peyton, Brooke and Lucas. They were no longer at the site where I left them so I began to eye the rest of the crowd. I took a few more gulps of beer as I looked over people's heads. Eventually my nerves were beginning to calm down.

"Are you feelin' better?" Nathan asked. I looked up, nodded and glanced past his shoulder. I noticed Brooke and Lucas were dancing against each other, her body all over his as she laughed. I glared at the image and took another huge gulp from my bottle. On the side, stood Peyton, a beer in her hand as she chatted with a couple of people I didn't know.

Nathan noticed me staring and turned around. "Ugh," he moaned. "One thing that I hate about them being together is that when they drink alcohol they do _that_ in public," he confessed watching as Brooke and Lucas started making out.

I rolled my eyes and we both turned away disgusted. I drank the last of my bottle and threw it down on the floor. Someone out of nowhere handed me a beer and it startled me. I heard Nathan chuckle.

"I told you," he smiled.

I opened the bottle and took a drink. Nathan grabbed a few more beers and other beverages from the cooler then took my hand and led me somewhere with less people. We kept walking away until the sound of the music began to fade and the sound of the water became clearer. He stopped at this one spot that was darkened by the sky but lightened by the moon. He dropped the few bottles he had brought onto the sand and flopped himself down beside them. I stood there, confused and turned around to see the party behind us. People were still dancing around underneath the decorated area and then I turned away.

"Are you going to sit?" Nathan asked, looking up.

I gave him a look, curious as to what he was trying to do. If his plan was to get me drunk and then take advantage of me, I was going punch him in the balls and tell him I was right about him. I hesitantly sat down, feeling the softness of the sand beneath me.

"Why are we right here?" I asked. "The party's over there," I added.

He didn't respond. Instead, he leaned back on his elbows and started staring at the stars above us.

"Have you ever heard the story about Andromeda?" he asked, randomly.

I lifted my eyebrow at him, confused and shook my head.

"She was the daughter of the King and Queen of Ethiopia," he began. He looked at me, hoping that I was paying attention and then turned back up towards the sky. I just sat there confused, but intrigued by the story that he was about tell.

"She was extraordinarily beautiful," he continued. "Her mother, Cassiopeia bragged about how beautiful she was. She even said that she was even more beautiful than the sea nymphs. But when the sea nymphs heard about Andromeda's beauty, they told Neptune to send the monster, Cetus, to destroy their city of Ethiopia. Andromeda's father, Cepheus, tried to negotiate something to stop the monster from killing their city. And he realized that the only way to protect his city was to sacrifice his daughter to calm down the monster. So she was chained to a rock by the sea to be eaten, but the brave Perseus arrived and killed Cetus with the head of Medusa, turning him into stone." He finished. Then he looked at me with glazed eyes. He wasn't drunk yet, at least I didn't think he was.

I let out a chuckle as he continued to look at me. "Why did you tell me that?" I asked.

"Were you listening to the story?" he replied.

"Yeah, but. . . "

"Haley, you're a great girl. You've accomplished a lot in your life. Your grandmother is pretty proud of you especially since she spoke on your behalf about how great you are," he began. "And people are going to attack you for being almost perfect, hence Brooke. But-"

I scoffed. "I am not even close to perfect."

"Probably not, but don't hold back," he advised. I furrowed my eyebrows as he continued. "Don't feel defeated when someone decides to disrespect you. Stand up for yourself. If you don't, you're only feeding them more and making them stronger."

"Cetus," I said.

He slowly curled the corner of his lips and nodded.

"So you're saying that I should've saved myself back there instead of walked away?" I questioned.

"Pretty much," he said.

"But she was rude!" I snapped.

He started to chuckle. "Yeah, she was rude which is why you should've turned her into stone."

I glared at him and started to smile. "So what makes you such an expert at this?"

"I've been in your position before Little Miss San Francisco," he replied with a smirk. "I've had a few Brookes in my lifetime. I learned from those situations and I stood up for myself. Once I grew up, I didn't let it phase me anymore."

I nodded as I remembered Peyton telling me that Nathan was never affected by his growing popularity in town. He must've had a few jerks call him out a few times for accomplishing so much and for being so kind.

I took the beer that I was holding and lifted it up for a sip. Then I decided to lean back on my elbows like Nathan and stare up at the stars. And we just laid there, looking up at the dark blue sky as he pointed out all the constellations that he knew. I asked him how he knew so much about the stars and their stories. He replied, looking at me with his dark eyes and said he really didn't know why. He said it could be the stories that were behind each constellation that interested him so much and that somehow in those galaxies, someone out there could be looking up at us – just like we were looking up at them.

For about fifteen or thirty minutes he showed me the Chained Woman aka Andromeda, Hercules, Pegasus and a few others that I haven't heard of since my tenth grade Literature class. I couldn't help but realize that I completely forgot about the whole Brooke situation. The problem seemed so small that I just didn't care about it anymore. Lying here, drinking a cold one with Nathan washed away all my stress and thoughts. I felt like I was in my own world lying next to him as he told me more about the stars. A bonfire didn't even exist right now.

After a while, we were silent. We both sat up from the sand and looked at the moving water before us. It made little ripples as the wind brushed against it, leaving us with wet toes when it reached the shore. Nathan had stopped drinking because he remembered that he had to drive us back home later. He was a little tipsy so he wanted to wait a while before he was ready to drive.

I looked away from the shore and noticed the bonfire was dying down. Everyone at the party were still dancing against it each other, but more erotically. And people were still playing drinking games and doing the keg stand. I tried to search for Brooke and Lucas, but they were no where in sight. Then I suddenly started to feel tired and sleepy. And somehow I found myself leaning over toward Nathan's shoulder and resting my head against it. I felt his head move and my eyelids slowly closed.

When I thought I had been sleeping for a couple of hours, I heard someone mumble something above us. I twitched out of my slumber and looked up, noticing Peyton standing beside us.

"Decided to have your own party, I see?" she stated. I noticed that Nathan wasn't sleeping at all, he had grabbed another drink from the pile next to him.

"How long have I been sleeping? I asked.

"About thirty minutes," Nathan answered, sipping from his bottle.

Peyton settled herself next to me with a red, plastic cup in her hands. "I wanted to see if you were okay. Brooke's a bitch when she can be," she said, glancing over at me.

I nodded, and started playing with sand in front of me. I didn't say a word.

"She's not really used to having a new girl hang out with us," she added. "It's always been the four of us and I guess she sees you as a threat to the group."

"She shouldn't see me that way. She doesn't even know me."

"Yeah, I know, but Brooke's always been the kind of person who likes the center of attention. I guess ever since you've arrived, everyone's been talking about you," Peyton replied.

I sighed deeply and placed my chin on my knees as the blurred vision of the ocean moved before my eyes. If only my grandmother didn't speak so highly of me. And I wish she didn't introduce me to Nathan or Peyton because they obviously had a huge reputation in this town too. I'm not too fond of getting attention, and being friends with them makes it ten times worse.

"Maybe I shouldn't be friends with you guys then."

"What?" Nathan snapped, looking away from waters for once. He was being quiet the whole time Peyton and I were talking. "Why would you say that? Don't let Brooke stop you from being friends with us just because you're afraid of her."

"I'm not afraid of her."

They both gave me a look and I looked down.

"Stop lying," Nathan ordered. I hated how he knew when I lying. But they were right. I was sort of scared of Brooke. I feel like if I continued to be a threat to her, then she'd probably try to do something worse than talk shit.

I glanced at Nathan and noticed the expression on his face. He looked almost defeated like me. Then I turned to Peyton who was looked stunned. Then I continued to play with the sand beneath me.

"I just don't want to cause any trouble."

"You're not; Brooke's the one who's starting it. You're not doing anything wrong," Nathan stated.

"Whoooo said my naaaaaame?" We all turned around and found Brooke stumbling as she walked towards us. She had no flip flops on or Lucas around her, just the bottle of Patron in her hand. I somehow knew something was about to happen, especially since she was drunker than she was before.

"Whaaaa aree ya biiitches doin?" she asked, her eyebrows arched as she finally found some composure.

"We're just hanging out, Brooke," Peyton replied.

Brooke paused as she gazed at us, looking totally smashed, as she took another swig from her bottle. Then she turned her full attention towards me. " You'rrreee hangin out wit hurr?" she asked, making an over exaggerated expression. "Sheee's a lil pussyy whoo can't take a joke"

My eyes widened as she spoke. "Excuse me?" I asked her.

"AHH! Nooow she's speaks!" she cried out, throwing her arms out. "Are youuu gonna cry now?" pouting, as she asked.

My blood was boiling at that moment and I knew that I was going to cry. With alcohol in my system, I wasn't sure how it was going to make my body act. Tears might fall, words might fall out of my mouth and maybe my arms will do something it has never done before. But this girl, this really trashy girl in front of me was really pissing me off.

"I am not going to cry because of you," I spoke. "You don't even know me and I'm not going to waste any of my words on your drunken ass especially when you probably won't even remember it in the morning." I stated as I stood up from the sand, feeling a little dizzy. Nathan lifted up from the sand and helped me. I guess I had a little too much to drink, but at least I wasn't wasted like Brooke was.

Brooke stood there, angrily glaring at me. "Whyy are you even here?" she asked.

Peyton gave me an apologetic look and then walked over to Brooke. "I'm going to take her home."

"NO!" Brooke whined. "Why is she here?" she repeated. Peyton pulled the bottle out of her hand, and started guiding her away from us.

"I'll see you guys later," Peyton called out as she wrapped Brooke's arms over her shoulder.

We both nodded as they started walking towards the parking lot. As they reached it, I noticed some guy passed out on the ground. I squinted my eyes to see who it was, but my vision was a bit blurry. But I figured it was Lucas. His hair was blonde and I recognized the gray shirt.

"Is that Lucas right there?" I asked Nathan, pointing towards the figure on the ground near the cooler. I heard him chuckle and nodded.

"That's my brother alright," he smirked as he guided us towards the bonfire.

We both settled on both sides of him as we stared at his sluggish face. Nathan poked his cheek to see if he was still alive. Lucas moaned and we both laughed for a bit.

"I'm still a bit tipsy. So let's wait a while and drink some water before I drive," Nathan stated. I nodded as he reached over to grab two water bottles; one for me and one for him.

In the next hour or two people began to leave the party. The crowd was getting smaller and smaller. People left their cups and bottles on the ground; I even spotted a bikini top somewhere buried in the sand. I was slowly getting a little less drunk, but I knew I was going to feel it in the morning.

Eventually, Nathan was stable enough to drive so we both got up, lifting Lucas off the ground gently. He was much heavier than I could hold.

"Heavy?" Nathan asked as he propped one arm over his shoulder.

"Kind of," I replied, struggling to wrap his other arm on me.

"Where's Brooke?" Lucas moaned as we started dragged him towards his car.

"She went home with Peyton," Nathan replied.

"Oh."

We both found Nathan's car and noticed the empty space where Peyton's vehicle used to be. I thought about Brooke and all the things she said to me. It hurt a little bit then I thought about what Nathan and Peyton said. I shouldn't let Brooke defeat me especially when she didn't even know me at all.

We carefully put Lucas in the backseat and drove back home. I fell asleep against the window until Nathan finally made it to my grandmother's house.

"I'm sorry about tonight," he stated as I slowly removed my face from the window sill.

"Oh, it's fine," I replied,

"You're lying again," he smirked.

I smiled back and decided not to talk about the subject anymore. "Thanks for the night anyways," I said. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded and I climbed out of the car and walked towards the front door. I looked back one more time, saw him staring from the window, and then I went inside. Maybe I left the house tonight thinking I wasn't going to be attracted to Nathan Scott, but somehow I feel a little different arriving back home. Was I suddenly feeling something for him or am I just fooling myself?

**R&R**


	7. Chapter 6 The Remedy

_**A/N: Hi everyone! I am back with another update! I am thankful for all the wonderful reviews. I appreciate them. It makes me happy to hear and know that people actually read my stories. I'm flattered. And I know all of you are all hating on Brooke now, I'm sorry for the Brooke fans, I just needed a mean character right now to keep up with the plotline. But soon enough you'll get to see her character develop. Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it. Tell me what you think.**_

_**- Annie**_

_**

* * *

  
**_

_**Chapter 6//The Remedy**_

The very next day I had woken up with a sore head. I didn't think it would be that bad because I didn't drink that much. Maybe it was from all the stress and thinking that I was doing last night. Some parts were pretty fuzzy, but I could remember the things that Brooke said and the star gazing with Nathan. It was both a bad and good night.

"You look . . . lovely," Eliza stated as she found me propped behind the counter with my head against the cold surface.

"Thanks," I replied.

Olivia and I arrived to the bakery a bit early. She gave me a special concoction for hangovers. It was strawberry flavored, so it wasn't so horrible. The only that I didn't like about it was the fact that it didn't completely erase the headache right after I drank it.

"What happened last night?" she asked, wrapping a MO's Bakery apron around her waist.

"I went to that bonfire at the beach," I replied. "Didn't you go?"

Eliza tied a knot behind her as she shook her head.

"Nope. I was actually at home doing some research. "

"Research for what?" I asked. "It's summer time. What do you have to do research on?"

"If you didn't know already, I'm a supernatural freak. I was trying to figure out the story behind the old bank and the ghost that lives upstairs."

"There are no ghosts around here," I corrected, lifting my chin off my arm.

"I've actually done some research and there is," she replied. "One of the halls at the Tree Hill University is haunted."

I rolled my eyes at the thought. My head was still throbbing and the story wasn't helping me since I hated freaky things like that. My worst fear is fear. I hate being scared and I hate the feeling I get when I am. It's nauseating.

"Look, if you don't believe me we can go check it out one day. The doors rattle when you walk past them," she said with this creepy smile.

"I think I'll pass," I snapped. "I am deathly afraid of anything creepy. I don't even watch scary movies. I get nightmares. I also get very paranoid so if I go with you, I will be freaked out for weeks. " I heard her laugh as she looked at the cork board filled with orders. She unpinned a note and read it. She made a face and placed the yellow note into her apron pocket.

"Speaking of creepy things," she stated. "I was assigned to make a freaking Barney cake today. Can you believe that?" She thought for a second and her eyes widened. "Maybe I'll put a pterodactyl in its mouth! Barney _is_ a fuckin' dinosaur after all."

I looked at her sourly and asked, "But isn't he also a purple character for little children? Putting a pterodactyl in his mouth would probably scare the little tykes."

Her shoulder slumped and she moaned. "Guh, the things I do for little children," she stated. She started walking to the back until she turned around. "Are you going to watch me decorate the cake?"

I slowly lowered my face against the counter. "I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm going to give my throbbing skull a rest."

"Alrighty."

As she left, I slowly closed my eyes and tried to find some comfort from the cold counter. It helped for a bit, until it suddenly turned warm. I opened my eyes and pouted. I turned to the empty seat behind the register and thought of Nathan. I wondered if he was going to show up early today for his shift or if he was even working at all. I started looking around me for the work schedule for the week. I jumped off the stool that I was sitting on and gazed at the corkboard that had a few sticky notes, ads, and flyers pinned on it. No sight of any schedule. Then I returned to my spot behind the counter. And I just sat there staring out the glass entrance as people walked by. It was too early for me to be here, way too early.

"Here's a muffin." I turned around and found my grandmother setting a blueberry muffin in front of me.

"Thanks," I smiled picking up the pastry.

"I figured since you're still a little hung over, Miss Drunkie, that you might you need a little bit more food to fill you up." She smiled and leaned over the counter, her face close to mine. I took a bite off the muffin and noticed her staring at me.

"Merriam told me that something happened last night. Would you like to fill me in?" she asked.

I sighed deeply and put the muffin back down. "I figured you'd find out somehow. This town has no secrets." I wiped my hands together and turned towards her to give her my full attention. "Well, this girl was being rude to me when I arrived. I have no clue why. She just started bitchin me out for no apparent reason."

"Who was it?"

"Brooke. I forgot her last name."

"Davis?" she asked. I nodded. Olivia started shaking her head as if she knew something like this happened often with Brooke. "She's always been such a bratty little child."

"Has this happened before?"

"More often than you know. I've lived in this town for ten years and I know a lot about some of the kids here, especially when they crave the attention," she spoke. "But don't let her get to you, baby girl. She's friends with Nathan and Peyton plus she's dating Lucas, so there's obviously something good inside of her selfish body. She's just jealous of you."

"She shouldn't be," I stated.

"But apparently she is." Jonathan entered the bakery with a huge smile on his face, looking happy as ever. He greeted both of us before Olivia patted my back and returned to the kitchen with him.

I stretched my arms above me and ate the rest of my muffin. As I was chewing on the last part of my muffin, I heard the door open. I looked up and found a freshly awakened Nathan walk in.

I smiled at his bed head, wiped my mouth and threw the napkin away.

"How was your morning, Perseus?" I asked, referring him to the hero of his constellation story he told me last night.

He rubbed his hair and walked closer to me on the other side of the counter.

"A little achy, but I'm fine. And apparently you're doing alright since you actually remembered the names in the story."

I shrugged as I watched him round the corner and sit behind the register right next to me.

"I'm surprised I remembered too," I said. "So how's Lucas?"

He rubbed the bridge of his nose as he began to chuckle. I looked at him, puzzled and lifted my eyebrows at him. "Worse than us. He couldn't even get out of bed this morning."

"Man I feel bad for the guy," I stated. "Especially when he has Brooke for a girlfriend," I added.

"You still mad about that?" He asked, opening the register and counting the money inside.

"How could I not? The girl was a bitch to me the whole night," I stated.

"True. I'm glad that you sort of stood up for yourself, though." He had a handful of dollars in his hand and started counting them as he put them back into their rightful place.

I smiled. "Thanks. At least I tried."

"You did a pretty good job – a little tame – but a good job."

I stood up from the stool and grabbed an apron from one of the hooks on the wall. "Whatever. I'm just hoping I won't see her face again," I said.

"Don't count on it," he stated before I headed towards the kitchen. I glared at him for a bit and then entered the back room.

Eliza was setting up the ingredients for the cake mix as she read off of a piece of paper. I looked over to my right and found Olivia and Merriam working on a piece of dough. They both had their own piece as they rolled it over a wooden board covered with flower. They were both laughing and joking like two best friends. As they were laughing, I noticed my grandmother turn her head away from the dough and let out a few coughs. I was hoping that she was taking medicine for that.

"There you are!" Eliza called out. I turned away from Merriam and Olivia and walked over towards Eliza.

"Hey," I greeted.

After a few hours of learning new recipes and baking, Nathan decided to bring me out to lunch. I told him that I wasn't really hungry after licking and eating some of the samples I was making, so he suggested coffee. There was a coffee shop just down the block so we ended up just walking.

On our way to the shop, Nathan brought up the Glee club subject. I was totally embarrassed. It's not that I didn't like it; it's just the fact that it was Glee club. Not a lot of people thought that it was the cool thing to do around high school. I did it because I needed something to put on my transcript. It was fun; I just wished Olivia didn't talk about it to everyone.

"Do we really have to talk about this? I mean, it's not like it's interesting," I stated.

"Yea, we're going to talk about it," Nathan smirked. "So, did you have to sing _and_ dance?" he asked.

I sighed deeply and I just knew that I wasn't going to get out of this conversation before I died of embarrassment. "Yep, that's what you do in Glee club," I answered.

"You do this in front of people?" he asked, curiously. I could tell that he was very amused by all this. I just wanted to slap him in the arm.

"Unfortunately yes," I answered. "But, it was fun so don't judge me."

"I'm not judging anybody," he replied, holding up his hands in defense. "It's cool that you're in glee club. That's brave of you to be able to sing and dance in front of an audience."

"Look who's talking. Aren't you some kind of volunteer firefighter?" I asked, as we stopped to let someone walk past us to go inside one of the boutiques.

"Yeah, I guess," he answered as we continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"Then you're definitely braver than I am," I stated. "You save people's lives."

"Yeah, but not that often," he answered. We both stopped in front of the coffee shop and he opened the door for me. I walked in and I saw a few familiar faces sitting in different tables. Some that I've seen at the bonfire and some that have walked into the bakery a few times. The line up front was pretty short, so Nathan and I walked behind this large lady wearing a pink sleeveless shirt and yellow Bermuda shorts. We both looked at each other when we started smelling BO from her pits.

Nathan made a face and I started to chuckle. The woman turned around a bit, and we both immediately stopped smiling. She turned back around and he placed his finger under his nose.

Eventually we made it to the front and were able to breathe in fresh air when the lady left. Nathan ordered a vanilla cappuccino while I ordered myself a caramel frapp. We both sat by the window and settled down in our seats.

"So since you're in Glee club, that means you sing," Nathan began as I sipped from the straw.

"Yeah, obviously," I laughed.

"You should sing for me one day," he said.

"Oh no thanks," I replied. "I'm finished with that."

"So does that mean you no longer have a singing ability?" he asked, chuckling.

"Exactly. Right when I graduated from high school it totally stopped. I can't sing anymore. I can't even hum," I joked.

He chuckled and took a sip from his drink. "But really, when you decide to that you can sing again, you should tell me. I'd like to listen."

I thought about it for a moment and nodded. I wasn't going to promise anything though. I learned my lesson about giving into peer pressure. If I agreed to it, then he was going to expect something from me, and I didn't want him to think that. I'm not saying I was a bad singer; it's just the fact that he wants me to sing to him that scares me. And that made me realize that a lot of things scare me. Scary stories, bitchy girls, and singing to boys. What the hell is wrong with me? I am a freak.

When we returned to the bakery, I noticed Peyton standing by the register talking to my grandmother. Before we entered, she turned her head and her face lit up at the sight of us. I walked in, Nathan following as Peyton walked up to us.

"Hey, I was wondering where you guys went," she stated.

"We went on a coffee break," Nathan answered.

"Oh well," she said, looking over at Nathan then back to me. "I have to talk to Haley for a moment."

Nathan nodded and met up with my grandma behind the register. Peyton led me to one of the tables near the windows and settled on the seats.

"I wanted to give you an apology on Brooke's behalf," she began.

I sighed as I played with the napkin container. I'm not surprised to see Peyton here doing what Brooke's supposed to be doing.

"Do you usually apologize for her?" I asked.

"Sometimes, but she's a little sick today." I rolled my eyes. She was obviously hung over and couldn't find composure from last night. "But, I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry again for how she acted."

"Are you expecting me to forgive you? Because I could forgive you, but not for Brooke."

"I understand. I've been in your position before, but I came here to ask you if you wanted to hang out with us. You know some girl bonding time."

"But wouldn't that make everything worse? I mean, I am a threat to the group."

"That's why I'm initiating this. I want her to see that you're not a threat at all. You're a cool person. And I also want you to see that Brooke isn't really who you think she is." I looked at her as she spoke. I didn't believe in a _nice_ Brooke at all. After what she did to me last night - talking to me like I was trash - I wasn't sure if I could give her another chance. "I mean, I know it might be hard to look past everything that she said to you, but can you at least give it a try?" she asked.

Is this peer pressure or is this just an opportunity to give someone another chance at a first impression? I looked up at Nathan because I knew that he was listening. He glanced back, giving me a little smile, and nodded. I figured he thought it might be a good idea too. Brooke was his friend after all, and he did tell me that the person that I saw last night wasn't the person he knew. Then I returned my gaze at Peyton. I could tell that she really wanted me to say yes. If these two people -who have been utterly nice to me from the beginning – can be friends with Brooke, then I might as well try to find that same person that they see in her.

"I'll see," I answered.

"Good," she replied with a relieving smile. "It will be fun. I'll just meet up with you later about the details."

She stood up from her seat, put on her sunglasses, and then left the bakery. I just sat there, straightening the cloth on the table and then stood up. I walked towards Nathan behind the register and grabbed a piece of chocolate from the basket.

"Remember when you said you didn't want to see her face again?" Nathan asked me as he pressed a button on the register. I glared at me and punched him the arm.

"Oh shut up."

"Just be careful for what you wish for," he advised.

"Alright, Genie," I replied as I turned away and went back to the kitchen to meet up with Eliza.

After a few more hours of training, Olivia decided to let me go and do whatever I wanted to in town. She gave me the keys to the car and I headed off. I don't know where I was going, but I was going somewhere. I looked around the town as I drove. I saw a couple of children skipping on the sidewalk without a parent. There was another group of teeny bopper girls wearing an extraordinary amount of makeup. I didn't even wear that much makeup when I was younger. Actually, I didn't wear make up at that age. Then I saw a couple holding hands as they both held a ice cream cone. The girl put her ice cream in front of the guy and made a dot on his nose. He glared at her as she laughed. I smiled and decided to go back to the house.

When I drove into the driveway , my cell phone started to vibrate. I put the car in park, unbuckled my seatbelt and answered the phone call.

"Hello?"

"Haley," my mother greeted. "You never called us about how your first week was."

I climbed out of the car and started walking towards the porch. "I'm sorry, mom. I was busy. Too much has happened in a week," I said as I pressed the button on the keychain to lock the car. Then I unlocked the front door and walked in.

"Do tell," she said. "Your father and I miss you."

I closed the door behind me and placed the keys on the table next to the door. "I miss you guys too."

"So what's happened so far?" she asked as I started making my way up the stairs.

"Um, I met Merriam, Gram's friend. She's really nice," I stated as I walked into my bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed, looking at my reflection in the vanity mirror. "She's the one who picked me up from the airport."

"Aw, I love Merriam. She's a sweetheart."

"She is. And then she brought me to the bakery her and Gram own. The place is fantastic just like she described."

"You should definitely send me a box of cookies," my mother suggested.

"Mom, you want me to send you a box of cookies? You live on the other side of the country. Just buy cookies from the bakery there."

"But I miss my mother's baking," she answered. I rolled my eyes and laid back against my bed.

"I'll just send you the recipes," I replied. I could tell that she was making a face on the other side of the phone. I thought it was pretty funny since she was horrible at following recipes.

"Very funny, Haley Bop," she said. "So tell me more. Is the town what you expected it to be?" She has no idea what I expected. I didn't think it was going to be so quaint and peaceful, but I also didn't think it was going to be such a small town where everyone knew each other so well. I actually didn't really know what I was expecting.

"The town is beautiful. There are so many trees," I laughed. "The people are . . . nice," I hesitated. I was definitely not going to tell her about the Brooke situation. If I did, she'd tell me to grab my things and come back home. She was so protective like that. "Gram brought me to this annual barbecue party at the Sawyer house the second day here. It was very interesting."

"Oh, the Sawyer house? They have annual barbecues there now?" she asked, curiously.

"Apparently, but I think it started when Larry Sawyer was the mayor."

"Larry Sawyer was the mayor?!" my mother exclaimed. Obviously my mother was behind on the whole Tree Hill news. She sounded so surprised to hear about this. "Larry Sawyer wanted to be a sailor when he was in high school. I didn't think he was going to be the mayor."

"Well he's not the mayor anymore, but I heard that he was wealthy."

"Damn, things have changed since I left there," she said.

"I guess."

"Sorry, honey. Tell me more. Did you make any friends?"

"Yeah, I've been hanging out with Merriam's grandsons, Nathan and Lucas. And the Sawyer's daughter, Peyton. They are pretty cool."

"Oh, I see you've met a met a Scott boy," she said in a low tone. I felt like there was a story that was about to be told.

"I actually met two," I corrected.

"Two? Well that's double the trouble," she said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked curiously as I laughed.

"I went to school with their father Dan. He was such an arrogant jerk who thought he could get with any girl he wanted."

I smiled. That's exactly what I thought of Nathan the first time I met him, but he wasn't arrogant at all.

"Maybe it's just him. His sons are pretty nice."

"The generation's changed but that doesn't mean their motive has," my mother stated. I didn't say a word for a moment. It made me think about Nathan and the kindness he was showing me. My mother was making sense, the time has changed and the guys are a bit nicer so it was easier to reel girls in. Guys still want sex and I still wasn't sure about Nathan. I'm just hoping my mother was wrong. I want him to prove her wrong.

"Well, I'll just have to see if the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

"Alrighty. Well I'm glad things are well there. I just wanted to see how you liked it," she said. "And maybe I 'm wrong about the Scotts, just be careful. I don't want you to get hurt."

I sat up on the bed and fixed my hair as I looked at the mirror.

"I'll be careful, I promise," I stated. "Thanks for checking on me."

"Anytime, honey," she said. "Call me again later. I love you, sweetie. Be safe."

"I love you, too." Then we both hung up and I climbed off the bed to head out the door once again.

**R&R**


	8. Chapter 7 Mad About the Boy

**A/N: Hi everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. Mine was pretty swell. I was on a sugar high the whole weekend. I'm still trying to regain consciousness. lol And I noticed that not a lot of people replied to the last chapter. I know that it was short and just lacked NALEYNESS, but it was needed for the story. But I'm making it up to you in this chapter. There's totally more NALEY and OLIVIA/HALEY bonding. And for those of you who don't like Brooke in the story, you'll be happy with this chapter. PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. I'd like to know what you think of it! ENJOY!**

**-Annie**

* * *

_**Chapter 7//Mad About the Boy**_

"Grams, how many cups of sugar do I add?" I asked as I stood in the kitchen trying to create molten lava cakes.

It's my third week here and I was still learning how to perfect the simplest of desserts for the bakery. The molten lava cake was the last thing I had to create before I was really allowed to bake anything for anybody. Everyone's been telling me that I've been doing great -still a few egg shells here and there- but other than that, they said I was improving. I just hoped it was good enough for the customers. I didn't want to scare away any of them. Since the bakery was closed today, I decided to practice back at Olivia's house.

"Gram!?" I called out again as I started searching through her kitchen drawers for the measuring cups.

"Yes, Haley?" she replied as she entered the kitchen. I turned to her and saw her leaning against the door frame, looking washed out.

"Where are your measuring cups?" I asked, turning back around. I opened another drawer and started rummaging through the utensils trying to find what I needed. "I can't seem to find them."

I heard her foot steps glide across the room and I glanced up. She opened one of the top drawers and grabbed all of the measuring cups. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you where they were," she said, placing them on the island. "Most of my baking material is up here in this cabinet. If you need anything else, it's in here," she added motioning towards the opened cabinet which had almost everything you would need for baking.

"Oh thanks," I smiled. I gathered all the ingredients together and observed them as I thought which ingredient I was supposed to start with. Olivia still stood beside me, watching me and observing me like a professor. She was my boss, after all. But it was kind of nerve wracking. It was like I was being tested. Good thing she was also my grandmother - someone who didn't judge me or criticize for all my faults. I could make one mistake in this batch, and she wouldn't dare scold me or yell at me. She would tell me, "Try again, sweetie. Just one more time," and then everything would be fine again.

"The chocolate," Olivia stated, softly.

"Oh, right!" I snapped. She let out a giggle as I reached out to grab the chocolate candies.

"Did you have fun with Brooke and Peyton last night?" she asked as I grabbed a small pot from one of the bottom cabinets.

"Oh, yeah it was fun. I only hung out with Peyton though," I answered as I took the pot with me towards the sink. I turned the faucet on and started filling the pot half way up. "Brooke had something more important to do. I think she still hates me. I don't know what I did, but I really don't care anymore." I turned the faucet off and walked up to the stove, placed it on top, and turned the knob on high.

Yesterday was supposed to be our girl bonding night. Peyton told me that it was mandatory for all of us to show up, but Brooke decided to go somewhere else. I wasn't surprised that she didn't come because everywhere I seemed to be, she would find the nearest exit. I think I have some sort of disease that she didn't want to catch or maybe she was allergic to my clothing, hair, or maybe even my feet. Whatever it was, whether it was about her insecurities or thought that I was the devil, I wasn't going to let it phase me.

Although Brooke put a little damper on Peyton's night -knowing that she was her best friend and all- we decided to just have a night of our own. She invited me over to her house at the plantation. It was even more beautiful in the inside. She had this long set of stairs with a beautiful glossy finish on the banister. I even saw the clay replica of the Pieta that Ellie was talking about. It was placed in the living area for all to see and it was utterly impressive. The walls of the house were an off-white color with fancy molding. Portraits were hung from wall to wall. There was even one where a young Peyton was running along this large green lawn in a fancy yellow dress. The photographer captured it perfectly with her blonde hair flowing in the air as if it was painted there. She said that the picture was taken one summer in England where she visited her grandparents' house. It was the last summer that she ever spent in England. Now the only time she would visit them was once every two years for Christmas. She told me she didn't even know them anymore.

I was sad for her because she lost touch with them, but it made me feel appreciative for my grandmother. Olivia actually wanted to stay in touch with me, even if it had to be through letters. She made a promise to me that we would always have each other even if we were living on two different sides of the country. E-mails and phone calls were too easy. E-mails could be deleted and phone calls were just phone calls. Letters meant so much more because you could reread the words, the memories and really get a feel of the emotion that was written on that paper. It was old-fashioned, but it kept us connected through all these years.

Peyton and I spent time listening to her incredible vinyl collection that she had displayed on this tall shelf. I was in a state of shock from all the bands that she had. She had almost every classic rock band on vinyl, even the ones from when my grandmother was a teenager. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when she started playing them on her bad-ass record player.

As I was lying on her bed looking through the sketches, I started asking her about Nathan. I didn't want to sound like I was interested even though Peyton already knew that I had a developing crush on him. No matter how hard I tried to keep my feelings for Nathan platonic, I ended up liking him anyways. Every time he was around, smiling with his perfect lips, I felt a twitch in the pit of my stomach. I don't know what it was, but it felt kind of gratifying. I just had to know what his love life was like, and if he was more than what I had imagined.

"Nathan's a real gentleman," she began."He's been kind to every girl he has ever dated, except for the clingy ones. Clingy ones are obviously one of his pet peeves. They just push him away and annoy him." I laughed at that. "But he wasn't interested in all of them. There were only about one or two girls in the past that he actually grew really fond of. Unfortunately, further down the road, they weren't the type of girls he thought they were."

"Clingy?" I asked.

"No. He told me that they weren't right for him, like he couldn't imagine himself being with them more than a year."

"Oh, so he has relationship problems then."

She shook her head as she was reorganizing her vinyl collection. "Nathan doesn't have relationship problems. He's just the type of guy who likes girls a lot." She laughed. "But he never seems to find the right one, you know what I mean?"

I sat up from the bed, placed her sketch book on my lap and nodded. I thought about Aaron Armstrong and the boy before him. Both who have broken my heart, hurting me through our short term relationships, and figuring out that they weren't the guys I thought they were either.

"I know exactly what you mean."

She smiled at me as she slid one of her vinyl into its case and pushing it back into her collection.

"He also has this weird thing about offering rides in his car," she stated. "He has this tendency to always meet up with girls at a location or at a party rather than picking them up at their houses. Sometimes he would pick them up; either in Lucas's car or my car with someone else inside, but never in his car alone. He rarely lets someone ride in his precious baby with just him," she said. "Which makes you special," she added, smiling at me.

I thought about our ride the other night, listening and jamming to his CDs as we talked about our favorite musicians. I remember it clearly, watching him steer the wheel coolly; smirking at me while he looked at my direction. The silence wasn't half bad either. I was oddly thrilled to know that I was one of the few girls that Nathan Scott offered a ride to. Thinking about it almost made my stomach flip.

"Are you blushing?" Peyton asked, leaning against her shelf.

"No!" I snapped, hiding my face from her.

"Yes, you are," she smiled.

"Whatever. Maybe it's your room. I think it's getting stuffy in here. I should advise you to turn on your air conditioner."

She let out a laugh as I returned back to her sketch book.

"But if you wanted to know, I think he's interested in you," she stated again. "Not that you would care at all, since I know you won't admit that you actually like him, but I just wanted to let you know that."

I didn't look up at her when she mentioned that because somehow my lips were forming a smile. I tried to hide it by covering it with my mouth as I flipped through the pages of her sketch book. I also wanted to stop myself from smiling because I didn't want to get my hopes up. Not this summer and not with Nathan. I didn't want to wear my heart on my sleeve because that was a disaster waiting to happen.

As I was preparing the ingredients for the lava cake – with Olivia still guiding me through the process – the home phone rang. She jogged towards the wireless phone that was hanging on the wall and answered it

"Hello?" she greeted. "Yes, this is Olivia." I glanced at her as I watched the chocolate melt above the pot of water. She gave me a smile before she focused back to the voice on the other side of the phone.

"Oh," she said. "Well. . ." she said as the low voice began to speak on the other side. She let out one of her scratchy coughs again and tried to clear her throat. She was definitely catching something. For the past week, she's been complaining about how painful it was to swallow. She's been trying to drink more liquids, but somehow it wasn't working. I tried to convince her to visit the doctor, but she refused to go. "We're closed today, but I can kindly take your order for you," she smiled. She walked towards one of her cabinet drawers and grabbed a pen and paper.

"Okay. . . chocolate and vanilla swirl . . . with butter cream icing. . . two layers. . . chocolate bow. Would that be it?" she asked, as she started scribbling the order on the paper. "Happy . . . Birthday Beatrice, alrighty. I have it written down. K, bye!"

As I was stirring the chocolate, I couldn't help but noticed how happy my grandmother looked even though she was looking sickly. I remember her coughing that one day when we were shopping, but then she said it was just from her sore throat. I'm guessing her soar throat was getting the best of her.

"I guess we have an order due for tomorrow," she stated, walking away from the phone. "Are you up for the challenge?"

I glanced at her as she turned on the faucet to wash her hands. "Um, I don't know. I don't want to make a mistake," I replied hesitantly.

"You won't," she replied. "I'll just ask Eliza to help you out here and there, but I think this would be a good start in the business," she said. I noticed that she tried to swallow and she squinted when she rubbed her throat.

"Yeah, let's pray that I do a good job," I smiled, still looking at her concerned.

"Of course you will," she said slowly. "Um, I think I'm going to lie down, sweetie. I'm feeling a little ill." I nodded as she started walking toward the kitchen door, then she turned back around. "I have the recipe for the lava cake in the cabinet, follow them carefully. I don't want the Scott brothers coming over here to water down a burning house." I laughed and promised to read the directions. Then she left, squinting as she tried to swallow again.

After combining all the ingredients together and following the directions just like I promised, I poured the batter into separate custard cups. I filled up about 6, placed them on a metal tray and slid them inside the oven. As I set the timer, I cleaned up my mess and searched for Olivia. I just wanted to see if she was feeling okay. She was really worrying me. Someone of her age getting sick can be critical.

I peeked through the living room and found her lying on the couch, on her right side with her eyes closed. I walked closer to her quietly. I knelt down in front of her on the couch, moving the piece of hair that had fallen on her face. The moment I touched her skin, it was hot, almost burning up. I slowly placed the back of my hand against her forehead, then cheek and I just knew something was wrong. I heard her move a little bit and then moan.

I immediately headed for the kitchen. I glanced at the cakes in the oven to make sure they were okay, and then I grabbed a big bowl from one of the cabinets. I packed the bowl with handfuls of ice and washed it over with cold water. Then I grabbed a clean towel from the linen closet and came back into the living room where she lay.

"Haley, what are you doing?" she asked, awakened from her nap.

I kneeled down, placing the bowl next to me and soaked the small towel into the icy water. "You're burning up. I need to cool you down," I answered as I twisted the water out of the towel and placed it over her head. "I don't want you to get sick on me, Grams. "

I gently placed the towel on her forehead, letting the iciness cool down the warmth of her skin. As I was holding it down, I heard her laugh.

"You worry too much," she stated.

"How could I not? You're my grandmother whom I haven't seen in years and I really don't want you fading out on me now."

"I'm not going to die, munchkin. I just have a fever."

"What if it's pneumonia? Or heart disease? Or leukemia!? You know how those stories go. Granddaughter visits her long lost grandmother, but finds out that she's ill and she dies and there's no more memories to make," I stated in one breath. I always had the tendency to ramble about the impossible, always thinking of reasons for every situation. Some that are a bit exaggerated and some that don't even make sense. I make my self scared of something that I shouldn't be scared of.

Olivia looked at me with her wrinkly eyes, shook her head amused by my overreaction. Then she lifted hand and softly caressed my cheek and said, "Sweetie, I wouldn't bring you here for the summer just to spend time with me because I'm deathly ill – which I'm not. I'm probably the healthiest old lady in town, but I do get sick sometimes. I get fevers, headaches, and body aches, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to drop dead right at that moment."

I pouted, letting out a big sigh and placed my chin against the cushion beside her. "You're right. I worry too much." She started petting my hair as I watched her like she was a precious gem. She is getting older and someday she will die, and that's what scares me the most. Knowing that she's closer to death than I am makes my heart ache. We've been apart for eleven years, writing to each other in pen and paper, without seeing each other in person. Now, we finally get that chance to be grandmother and granddaughter. Summer is only two and half months – for me at least. And somehow I feel like that's not enough for me.

I sat there for a while and then realized that I had the cakes still in the oven. I hurried off the floor and rushed into the kitchen. Thank God that it had just about one minute left. So I stood there, waiting for the seconds to go down and I took out the tree. The aroma of the cakes smelled incredible as I placed them on the counter. I had the slightest feeling that I made these perfectly with no egg shells in sight. I turned off the oven, and kept the tray there until the cakes were cool enough to eat. I grabbed a glass of water for Olivia and returned to the living.

She certainly looked like the fever was taking over. At first, it seemed like she couldn't even tell that she was heating up. I guess that happens sometimes. I remember when I was younger and I had a temperature of 103 and didn't even realize how sick I was until a few hours later. She gently grabbed the glass of water from me and took a few sips of it.

"Thank you, honey," she said. "I can smell the cakes from here. I already know they are going to be phenomenal." I smiled and sat myself at the end of the couch, near her feet.

"Gram, I don't have to go in tomorrow. I'll stay here and take care of you."

"No. You can't take off on your first day of work. Who do you think you are? The boss's granddaughter?" I laughed and patted her leg.

"But I don't want to leave you here, alone. That would make me a bad grandchild."

"Oh hush, you are not," she replied. "You are a good grandchild." I rested my head against the couch and smiled at her. "You are the only one that I've gotten to know the best. Out of all of my grandchildren, you are the one that I could relate to the most. It's like you are me when I was younger; intelligent, beautiful, and . . . scared."

------

Olivia was getting worse throughout the night, coughing and vomiting like no other. I just couldn't leave her like this. It was impossible. I felt like something worse was going on in her body, she just didn't want to tell me. But maybe I'm worrying too much like she said I was, or maybe my conscious was right.

I slept in the living room during the night, making sure she was okay. I didn't get a lot of sleep because I didn't want to take my eyes off her. Sometimes she shook in her slumber like she was freezing so I would add a few more layers of blankets over her. A couple times, I would refill the icy water and then replace the towel against her forehead again. And it was repeated throughout the night. She wasn't shivering anymore, and somehow her fever was going down. It wasn't normal yet, but it was reaching to a point where it didn't worry me as much.

Soon enough the sun rose. It shined through the windows, stinging my eyes in the process. I had trouble opening them from my lack of sleep. I had slept on the recliner near the television with a thin blanket over me because the floor was too hard. I glanced towards Olivia and found her still sound asleep. I noticed her chest moving up and down normally and I was satisfied. The towel that used to be on her forehead was now against her cushion beneath her shoulder and I climbed off the recliner to pick it up.

Today was the day that I was going to start my summer job as a real employee at MO's bakery. I was nervous and happy at the same time. I had tasted the molten lava cakes I made last night and impressed myself. Olivia didn't get to eat any since she was too sick to eat. But if she wasn't, she would've been proud.

I hurried up the stairs to take a shower and dressed up for the day. Then I returned downstairs and found Olivia slightly awake. She turned the television on to one of her favorite sitcoms.

"Are you feeling better?" I asked, pinning my bangs back.

"Slightly," she replied with a raspy voice. "Are you excited?"

"Kind of. I'm a little nervous."

"You'll be great. Just ask Eliza or Jon or even Merriam for help. I'm sure they'll be kind enough to offer you some."

"Thanks, Gram." I replied. I walked over to her and grabbed her empty glass, ready to fill it back up with water. "I'm going to call someone to watch you. Is that okay?"

"Um," she began as if she was thinking of someone in particular. "Can you call Jim?" she asked.

I looked at her confused. "Who's Jim?" I asked curiously.

"Oh he's a friend of mine. He just lives down the street."

I smirked at her, lifting an eyebrow. "You never told me about a Jim. Did you forget to mention him?" I asked, intriguingly.

"Haley, just call the man, please," she replied, almost as if she was trying to hide something from me. I couldn't help but feel very entertained by this. If this was some man she was crushing over, I wanted to know more details immediately. "He's a retired doctor and he sometimes helps me when I'm ill."

"You got a personal doctor now?"

She rolled her eyes at me and told me Jim's number. When he arrived moments before I left, I couldn't help but notice the light that appeared in Olivia's eyes. I've never seen her so enthused to see a person of the opposite sex before. Maybe this was what her face looked like when she was around Grandpa. Jim was a kind and handsome man. He looked a bit younger than Olivia, not that it would matter since they were both old, ha. He came in wearing a brown sweater, with a blue collared shirt peeking from underneath. He looked well groomed. His hair was blonde, a really light blonde that was almost white. His eyes were like Nathan's – a greenish blue shade. But somehow deep inside of me I didn't want her with him. I felt like she was betraying Grandpa by finding a certain attraction towards Jim. Who am I kidding? You can't help who you fall for.

When I arrived to the bakery, I immediately found Nathan dozing off on his chair by the register. I slowly walked closer, without making a noise and leaned over to poke him in the rib.

"Hey sleepy!" I greeted, loudly. He quickly jumped out of consciousness and looked at me, wide eyed.

". . . 'the hell!" he exclaimed. I leaned back and waited until he found reality again. Then he glanced at me, squinting. "Hey," he finally greeted.

"Rough night?" I asked.

"I was on call yesterday. Lucas and I were putting down a fire over at Trinity street. It took a couple of hours to put down."

"Was it huge?"

"Nah, it was small, but the fire just wouldn't budge. It was later in the evening and I was already tired from playing basketball with the guys," he answered as he grabbed a chocolate from the oh-so familiar candy basket.

I sighed deeply. "That stinks. Hopefully we can both catch some sleep soon."

"You had a rough night too?" he asked, looking up with his irresistible blue eyes. They looked different this time, almost as if they were brighter than they usually were. Maybe it was because my feelings towards Nathan were more than platonic now and it's making me look at him differently.

"Yeah, I was up all night watching over Grams. She's sick to the bone," I answered.

"Poor, Olivia," he replied as he put the chocolate into his mouth. "Wait, she's sick and you're here? Why aren't you with her right now?" he asked curiously.

"She didn't want me to miss my first day on the job. Just because I was related to one of the owner's of the bakery doesn't mean I get special privileges." I lifted one eyebrow at him, reminding him of our first encounter. He noticed and stuck his tongue at me. "Plus, she asked me to call this Jim guy to stay with her until I got back." I walked around the counter and grabbed myself an apron and wrapped it around my waist. My back was towards him as I struggled to a tie a knot.

"Jim Bob." I heard him say.

"Huh?" I asked.

"That's his name." And for some reason his voice was now much closer. I could feel his energy behind me; his breaths now clear. Out of nowhere I started feel my blood rushing through my veins causing me to warm up underneath my skin. When he gathered the strings my hands, I felt this sudden jolt between our fingers. It was almost electric. Then I felt him tug the two strings from the apron together and managed to tie the knot that I was struggling to make. He smelled like fresh laundry detergent and expensive cologne. I knew a lot of guys who wore cologne, a lot of it, and it always made me sneeze. But Nathan wore it right. He didn't have too much or too little. It was perfect.

I turned around, smiling up at him. "Thanks," I said. Right then, things were a bit hazy. We were so close to each other that if we moved an inch, we would practically be touching. He was looking at me differently, like he was observing every pore on my skin. Then I started to get uncomfortable so I quickly looked away from him.

"Jim Bob, huh?" I questioned, stepping back and pulling my hair up in a pony tail. "You know him?"

I looked at him, still standing where I had left him. He appeared to be in the middle of shock – stunned and confused at the same time- just like me. Then he shook off whatever thoughts were rolling in his mind and glanced at me.

"Yeah, um, he's a regular customer."

"Really? I never noticed."

"It's because you're always in the kitchen training," he replied, settling back down onto his seat behind the register. "It's hard to spot him. He arrives around 1:15 in the afternoon almost every other day to grab a chocolate éclair, his favorite. He would talk to Olivia for a few moments, exchanging small talk and then he would take off."

"Are they . . ., " I began.

"It seems like it," he cut in with a smirk. "They're always flirting like they're teenagers," he added, almost looking disgusted then his expression disappeared and he turned to me. "It's almost kind of cute."

I stared at him for a moment, our eyes connecting as if we were destined to and then I thought to myself that I shouldn't be having moments like these. I had a few of them before -moments that were so endearing and pleasant that it made my heart ache – but I had them at the beginning. Beginnings were always so subtle and vague. We get so lost in the moment and attraction that we forget what we're actually looking for; truth and love. Maybe I'm just lusting over Nathan because of his good looks and admirable qualities, but then something else is luring me towards him. It was the way he joked around with me, always making his way to keep a conversation going, and never losing interest; the way he wanted me to find confidence in myself and advising me to read people better like he was helping me; and his courage. I was so confused right now. The only thing that I truly knew was that I had feelings for Nathan. I just refused to show it.

"So when are you going to sing to me?" he asked, leaning forward on the counter.

"I'm still thinking about it," I answered.

"You know you have to do it, right?" he asked. "I'm not taking 'no' for an answer. I completely refuse to let you say no," he stated, smirking at me.

I scoffed. "You can't force me to do something that I don't want to do."

"It's your fault." I looked at him confused. "You made me think that you were actually going to sing to me. And you made me wait too long, so now you really have to do it."

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. "Are you kidding me? I will not."

"Maybe not today, but soon."

I glared at him playfully and stuck my tongue out at him. "If I sing to you, you have to sing to me then." I smiled. At first, he looked surprised like I hit him right in the gut then his lips grew into a thin line.

"Fine," he agreed. "But don't be shocked if I sing better than you," he added.

I let out a loud giggle. "I'll try not to be impressed."

"Haley!" I heard Eliza call out. We both turned towards the entrance of the kitchen and then turned back to each other.

"I forgot, I'm a working woman now."

"Yep, now chop, chop! You have a cake to bake!" he smirked. "The world is depending on you."


	9. Chapter 8 Heart Skipped a Beat

A/N: Hi everyone! I'm finally back with a new update. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I appreciate them! This chapter took me a while to write. It's pretty long, but I hope you enjoy it. And for those of you who wanted more NH, this is definitely a chapter of goodness. And the title of the chapter is named after the song "Heart Skipped a Beat" by The XX. :) Please read and review. Tell me what you think!

2 MORE WEEKS 'til OTH comes back ya'll. I can't wait to see more Naley. I've missed them so much. I'm sure all of you do too. EEk.

Enjoy!

* * *

_**Chapter 8// Heart Skipped a Beat**_

Everyone was pretty impressed with my baking powers today. The cake that Olivia suggested that I make turned out pretty awesome. It wasn't perfect, but it was close. I asked Merriam and Jonathan if it was good enough to give to the customer and they didn't even hesitate to say yes. They said that the customer wouldn't even notice if it had the tiniest mistake on it especially if it was for a child's birthday. It was food after all. The children would dominate it in a second.

"So Olivia's sick?" Merriam asked, walking behind me as I added the finishing touches to the cake.

"Yeah. She has a fever. Hopefully it will go away soon."

"Poor thing. Did she take any medicine?"

"I gave her some Tylenol," I answered as I puffed a chocolate flower on the edge of the cake. "I'm not sure if it worked since she was vomiting and sweating all night. I stayed up to keep an eye on her. I barely got any sleep. I was really starting to worry about her."

"She should be taking her medication that the doctor prescribed to her," she stated. "It's only helpful for her immune system. She has a horrible immune system, that's why she's been getting sick a lot."

I stopped working on the cake and looked to my side. Merriam was wrapping up a little basket of treats with a red ribbon. Soon my eyes furrowed, but I didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"This has happened before?"

"Oh yeah, plenty of times. I was just like you. She would call me when she'd start feeling a little sick. So I'd run to the nearest drug store to get her medicine. Then buy a couple of bottles of water and juices and head to her house. I'd stay there for about a week to help her recover. It takes a while for her to get better."

At that moment, I remembered some of the letters of Olivia mentioning a fever or a slight cough. She never gave me any details about her health, only about her life on the outside. I wish she had told me though. I mean we told each other everything. I guess she didn't want to tell me _everything_ after all. I know she's old and I know that she will get sick eventually from time to time. _But plenty of times_? I would start worrying when it got to that point. My mother was always apprehensive about her health when she still lived in California. That's why she was so concerned and iffy about her leaving in the first place. I never thought it was serious though. Let's just pray that this wasn't something to fret about in the future. I didn't come here to see her die. She even told me that wasn't the reason. I hope she's not lying.

"Don't let it trouble you, though. She's been pretty healthy for a while," Merriam stated. "This is the first time in months since she's been ill. So it could be something temporary." I sighed in relief. She finished tying the bow and came over to pat me in the shoulder. "But, I'd watch her just in case," she advised. I nodded and watched as she grabbed the treat basket and walked to the front.

After a while of adding the last minute touches to the cake, I was finally done. The creation was pretty amazing, I thought. I cleaned up my mess and asked Eliza to help me put it into one of the white boxes. I didn't want to mess up the cake before the customer came and got it. Once it was safely in the box, I waited for them to arrive.

I glanced around the bakery for a while and watched over everyone else's creations. Eliza was making cookie monster cupcakes with blue grassy-like icing and Jonathan was making this beautiful three tier topsy turvy cake which really impressed me. I actually wanted one for myself, but unfortunately my birthday landed in February. Merriam told me that I really didn't have anything else to do since all the other orders were occupied, so she said that I could work up front. I knew that I wasn't going to be one of the professional cake bakers here, but Olivia and everyone else figured it would be fun for me to help out. I mean, Eliza was the one who initiated the opportunity for me. And they were right; it was pretty fun for my first day out. Who wouldn't want to work at a bakery? Maybe not the people who are trying to focus on their weight, but normal people would love it.

When I walked to the front, I noticed that Nathan was in the middle of a conversation with a little boy and his grandmother. I didn't want to interrupt so I just stood by the doorway and watched. The grandmother looked almost frustrated, but she seemed quite charmed by Nathan. It was kind of funny. The little blonde boy looked delighted though. It almost looked like Nathan was trying to persuade him into doing something mischievous. But Nathan looked really sincere when he was talking to them, almost like he was a big brother.

"My mother would never let me have any desserts before dinner when I was younger, but my grandmother would do it anyways," I heard him say. "She'd pick me up right before dinner and we'd drive to the store. The bakery was the first place we'd look at and I'd tell her that I wanted the whole store -just like you said. There were cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and maybe even candy. Then my grandmother would look at me and lean down next to my ear and say, 'you're too tiny, Nathan. You can't put this whole store in your stomach.' Then I'd laugh and think she was crazy. Eventually she'd ask me what I really wanted and I'd point out my favorite treat." During that moment, he felt me staring and looked up. He gave me a little smile and then returned to his story. "She'd ask the man for it, buy it with the little money she had. Then she would give me the treat and say, 'I just bought you the whole store.' So what do you say, Mrs. Johnson?" he asked, looking up from the child and towards the little old lady, who wasn't that much older than my grandmother. "Are you going to give him the whole store?"

Mrs. Johnson was hesitant to answer. The little boy turned to her, pleading her with his puppy dog eyes. She couldn't let him down. I could tell that she was debating whether to say yes or no, but when she glanced back at Nathan, I just knew that he had convinced her.

"I suppose I could."

"Yay!" the little boy cried out.

"What do you really want?" she asked him. The little boy scurried along the counter, gazing at all the scrumptious desserts and pointed at one of the brownies. He looked really sure that the brownie was what he really wanted to eat to spoil his appetite. The lady nodded and looked up at Nathan. She didn't even have to say it. Nathan knew. I saw a smile appear on his lips as he pulled out a paper bag, some tongs and started adding a couple brownies inside. The boy was thrilled when Mrs. Johnson paid for them. I couldn't help but imagine Nathan reacting the same way. It was kind of heartening.

As soon as the boy and grandmother left the store, I made my way towards Nathan. He saw me approaching, and suddenly his face lit up like he was happy to see me.

"That was sweet," I said.

"It's my job. I gotta keep the customers coming."

"I think it's been established that they'll be coming back."

"Unless he gets in trouble with his mom, then they'll never return."

"You'll never know. His grandmother might bring him here anyways."

He smirked and said, "You were listening?"

"It was hard not to. You were pretty loud."

"That's what she said," he laughed.

I hit him lightly across the shoulder. "Ew, gross. That's not what I meant."

"I was joking," he chuckled.

"I better hope so, perv."

"You're the one who said it."

"You're the one who thought it."

I rolled my eyes and leaned across the counter. He chuckled and turned around, grabbed the pile of menus from the counter and started placing them on the shelf behind him. While he was doing that, I glanced outside and noticed Brooke and Peyton across the street at the music store. And I suddenly felt myself tense up. I watched as they looked at the CDs that they bought. Peyton noticed me as she glanced up from the CDs and waved. Brooke didn't even bother.

"Haley!" I heard someone call out. I looked towards the kitchen door and noticed Eliza's face peeking out of it.

"Yeah?"

"Mr. Daniels called in and said that he wants the cake delivered to his house instead of picking it up, so I guess it's your duty to bring it there."

"Um, okay," I answered slowly, standing up straight from the counter.

She fully stepped out and pulled out a piece of paper from her apron pocket. "Here's his address. He lives in a cul-de-sac. He said it's easy to miss," she said as she walked up to me, handing me the piece of paper. It was kind of crinkled as I spread it open.

"Well that sounds like fun," I said, sarcastically. "I'm sure I'd get lost trying to find this place. I don't even know my way around town yet. This is a recipe for disaster."

"I'd join you, but Jon is keeping me busy back there," she replied, a little annoyed. I pouted and reread the address, hoping it would turn into a fortune and say 'you'll be fine', but unfortunately it didn't.

"I'll go with you," Nathan stated from behind us. We both looked at him as he finished putting up the menus.

"Really?"

He nodded as he walked beside me. "Let me see the address?" I handed him the crinkly paper and I watched him as he looked at the numbers. I waited to see a reaction, hoping that he knew exactly where it was. Then he lifted his eyebrows and said, "I think I know where this is. We'll figure it out, though." He flashed me a smile and stuffed the address into his pocket.

"Well there you go. You found yourself a partner in crime," Eliza stated.

I didn't answer. The thought of being alone with Nathan in his car again made me wonder if he really was interested in me. Peyton was his best friend and all, so I suppose what she said about him could be true. But sometimes people can fool you even when they are your closest friend.

"Alright, let's get going!" Nathan cried out. We both followed Eliza into the backroom and grabbed the cake from the fridge. We said bye to Merriam and then walked out the bakery towards his car.

When I climbed inside, I noticed that it was cleaner than the last time I saw it. There were no longer any crumbled pieces of paper on the foot area and the scent changed from lemon to strawberry. I looked up at the rear view mirror and saw that a strawberry shaped car freshener was hanging around it. CDs were still spread across the dashboard- AC/DC still plain sight. Then I glanced in the back and noticed his uniform piled on the backseat. He wasn't kidding when he said he was a volunteer firefighter.

"You actually cleaned your car this time," I stated when he climbed inside and closed the door.

I heard him laugh and pushed a few CDs off his side of the dashboard.

"I thought it needed it. You never know when someone's going to need a ride somewhere."

We held our gaze for a bit, both of us smiling. I felt the strange twitch in my stomach again, and at the same time my pulse was racing. It was strange. It's like my body started doing strange things when I was around him. The stare was getting a bit too long, so I quickly looked away and pulled on my seat belt.

"So um, let's get going before the cake melts," I stated, wrapping the seatbelt around me and buckling it. I was conscious that his eyes were still on me until I heard him start the engine.

As we started to drive out of the shopping area and into the neighborhood, Nathan decided to put on his stereo. And I was surprised to hear that hip hop music wasn't blasting from the speakers. It was some Frank Sinatra song. I looked at him astounded as he drove. I remembered mentioning Frank to him on our car ride to the bonfire. I couldn't believe my ears. I felt almost proud that I had influenced him into listening to this kind of music. While I was gazing at him, still in awe, I noticed a smile slowly appear on his lips. He didn't even have to take one look at me to realize how stunned I was.

"When you told me about Frank Sinatra, I decided to check him out," he began. "So I did. I went over to the music store and found a couple CDs of his and listened to them. He's actually pretty good."

Again, I was shocked. My heart suddenly started to flip flop against my chest. This boy was actually listening to me and remembered the things I said. That was so weird. None of the boys in my past have ever listened to a word I said, or even wanted to listen to the type of music that I liked. I was totally taken back by it. It was sweet that he thought of me.

"Wow. Does Peyton know about this?" I asked. I looked over at the dashboard and found the CD case. It said Sinatra's classics. I turned it around and noticed that it had some of his popular tracks.

"What? Does she have to know about this?"

"I don't know. She knows you better than I do. I'm just wondering if she was as surprised as I am right now."

He chuckled. "No, she doesn't know that I have this in my car. She'd probably laugh her ass off right now. You're the first one who's witnessed it."

"Who knew you'd go from listening to songs like 'Candy Shop' to 'Come Fly with Me'."

"I guess I'm an unpredictable guy."

"You're not that unpredictable," I stated.

"Oh really?" he replied.

"Yes, really."

"Am I that readable?" he asked, taking his eyes off the road and towards me.

"Yeah. Just because you surprised me with _this," _I began as I pointed out the music, "doesn't mean that I don't know what's up your sleeve."

As his eyes gazed back towards the road, I noticed that he seemed pretty amused by me – like I was wrong.

"Then tell me," he suggested. "Tell me exactly what kind of guy I am since you're good at reading people and all." We turned a corner of one of the neighborhoods and I saw a couple of kids riding bikes. Then I turned to him and I had the slightest feeling that he was ready to humiliate me.

"You really want me to tell you?"

"I promise I won't get offended this time. I just know for a fact that everything you're going to say is wrong."

"What makes you think that?"

"You said that I was a _womanizer_, remember?"

I took a moment to collect my thoughts. _The barbecue._ It was all coming back to me now. I sighed and I felt my own defeat.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"Now please, tell me what you think of me. I'd like really like to know," he challenged.

I didn't start immediately. I was still trying to gather all my thoughts about him. My feelings towards him were mixing in with it too, but I didn't want them to influence my thoughts about him. I started fiddling with the nail polish on my fingers and then began.

"Okay, here we go," I started. "I see you as the type of guy who likes to charm ladies, women, girls, or anyone else with a vagina." He quickly turned to me with a weird expression, like I was a freak. I didn't take it too personally. I was kind of amused, but then I continued. "I think that because you have this whole . . . physique," I said, trying not to point out his good looks," that I am pretty familiar with back at home. You're popular which means that you think you can do whatever you want because people like you. You could be the ass-iest ass on this entire planet and girls would still drool over you. Boys would still want to be you. Since you're popular, you party. A lot. You listen to mainstream music. In particular, you like the ones that are pretty raw like rap and hip hop. Um . . . oh yeah adding to the fact that you're a basketball player, you get loads of attention by everyone. It kind of boosts your ego. Actually being any kind of athlete and being good at it, boosts your ego. And . . . since you're a firefighter, you want to prove that you're not afraid of anything, especially fire. So you pretty much think you're the unstoppable." I finished and looked at him hesitantly, almost scared to hear his response. Personally, I was describing Aaron and all his stupid qualities, but that's exactly what I thought of when I first saw Nathan. A good looking guy like him can't be a sentimental person especially since he's a basketball player with rich friends.

"How right was I?" I asked when I realized he didn't respond immediately.

We started driving down this one street slowly when we stopped at a four way. Then he turned to me and said, "Those. . . were pretty stereotypical."

"Well that's how I read you."

He smiled a little bit, and then it faded. "You've been here for a few weeks and you still think that I'm that kind of guy?"

"_A few weeks are still a few weeks_, Nathan. Sometimes people can fool you," I replied. "I'm still trying to figure this place out."

"What's there to figure out? People are still people, _Haley_," he mocked. "Some may fool you, but you also got to remember that some don't."

I gazed at him for a bit, feeling ten inches tall in my seat. I am so sick of myself assuming the worst in people. I can't help it that I've been fooled so many times before in my life. It's hard to get to know a person – getting attached to someone- and then have them betray you. Trusting someone is a precious thing to me. Maybe I'm so tainted by past relationships and friendships, that trusting others is completely far from possible. But when he told me that, I just knew deep in the pit of my stomach that he wasn't lying to me. It was like he was telling me that he wasn't going to hurt me. He didn't have to say it, he showed it.

"Did I offend you?" I asked, feeling a bit guilty. He returned to the road when it was our turn to go during the four-way.

He shook his head, amused. "No, I told you I wasn't going to be offended. It's just funny to hear you being wrong again. I told you to work on that whole reading people thing," he advised with a smirk. I sighed in relief, glad that he wasn't mad. I guess he was right about being unpredictable. Nathan understood me and he knew how to turn situations around from awkward to fine again. I guess the only fool around here is me.

"And p.s. I'm not a volunteer firefighter because I want to prove people that I'm invincible," he stated. "I do it to overcome my fear of fire and because of something else." I looked at him confused. He's scared of fires, but he volunteers anyways? That would be like me trying to be a ghost hunter when I'm scared of ghosts.

"How does that work?"

"I thought maybe it could help me deal with it. I didn't want to the live the rest of my life being scared. Who wants to live like that?"

I didn't answer him, I just shrugged. "But every time you get called up, doesn't it scare you? I mean isn't that the same thing as living life being scared especially when you have to go through it?"

"I do get scared all the time, but I try not to let it control me. Every time I get called up, it slowly stops the fear because I overcome it. And when I overcome it, I'm no longer scared. Then there's the other reason . . . it's kind of personal, but I'm willing to let you hear it." I noticed that he looked kind of sad at the thought. It made me feel like it was something serious.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I stated, hoping it wouldn't trigger anything. "If it's really personal you don't have to tell me. I'll be fine with the whole '_fearing fire'_ reason.

He gave me a sympathetic look. "I trust you." I smiled at him as we continued driving down a street. "When I was younger, I was at my friend Tim's house. A storm had just past so we didn't have any electricity for a couple of hours, so his mom put up a few candles to light up the place. Being ten year old little boys and all, we were bored. His PlayStation didn't work and there was no TV. So in order to entertain ourselves, we decided to play hide and seek. I was_ it_ and Tim was hiding somewhere in the kitchen. When I found him under the dining table, we started running around the house. There were candles on top of the coffee table, on shelves, and other places. When we were running, Tim bumped into the shelf knocking down one of the candles in his room upstairs. It fell on the carpet and it lit on fire. It spread across the floor and it went up the walls. Everything after that went by so quickly. The house was on fire and Tim ran off to find his mother. I ran downstairs as quickly as I could and tried to get water to put it out. But the place was getting hotter and hotter. I couldn't go back up the stairs because it was falling apart. Tim's mom was in the living room the whole time when I found her. She looked at me scared when she realized that Tim wasn't by side. I just couldn't think at the time. She grabbed me and yelled for Tim. We tried to find ways to get upstairs. We knew he was upstairs, but it was too late. The firemen came, dragging both of us out of the burning house. And I just stood in the yard, smelling like smoke, wrapped in a blanket besides beside Mrs. Smith. And I watched the house engulf in flames -with my best friend inside." My heart sank."It was probably the hardest day of my life," he whispered.

I reached for his shoulder. "I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay. It was eight years ago. It was hard to deal with for the next few years. But once I was old enough, I decided to volunteer in honor of him. You know, to pay my respects."

"So you can save people?"

"Yeah," he replied in a whisper. "Especially when I couldn't save him."

"That's inspiring."

"I guess," he replied. He drew a long breath as he continued to drive. "Anyways, speaking of fears, tell me one of yours," he suggested with a smile, quickly changing the subject and making the atmosphere a bit lighter.

I slowly turned away from him, hesitating. "Um . . . I don't have any fears." I lied.

He gave me a look. "You don't have any fears? I don't believe it. Everyone has fears."

"Maybe I do, I just don't want to tell you."

"I just told you mine," he complained.

"I didn't ask you to."

"I also said that I trusted you."

"But who said I trusted _you_?" I smiled, giving him a mischievous look when he glanced at me.

"You're a tease, you know that?"

"And you're unpredictable."

I glanced at him and gave him a little smile. And again, my body started acting weird. My heart was pounding, blood was rushing through my cheeks, and my stomach was flipping. Then once more, I decided to change the mood.

"Okay, so are we getting any closer to our destination?"

"Um," he began as he craned his neck to check out the addresses of the houses. I looked at him and figured that he was processing something in his head. "I think it's down this street."

I started looking out the window as well, trying to find a cul-de-sac filled with cars. It was obvious that we were going to someone's birthday party. A girl named Beatrice, I might add. _Beatrice? _Who names their child that? I mean, I'm almost certain that if I knew someone named Beatrice, I'd nickname her _Bitch _because if you say her name fast enough it almost sounded like bitches. Or maybe that's just me.

"I think you should start marking off some of those things on that list you made about me," he advised.

"What?" I asked looking away from the window.

"You heard me," he smirked, glancing at me and then looking past my shoulder towards the houses. "Eventually, I'm going to start looking mighty fine compared to the guy you thought I was."

I scoffed, amused. "So far, only one thing is scratched off and that's the whole firefighting part."

He let out a chuckle. "Most of the things on your list are completely wrong. I'm not an ass. I don't crave popularity. I don't expect everything to be given to me just because you think everyone likes me_. And just because I'm a good looking basketball player doesn't mean I can get with every girl I want_." He smirked.

"Who said you were good looking?" I joked.

"Apparently you think so," he replied.

"I didn't say anything."

"Well on your list you said that even if I was the ass-iest ass on this entire planet, girls would still drool over me. And why would girls drool over me? I don't think it's because I'm an ass. I believe it's because they think I'm good looking."

I started shaking my head at the last part and turned back to the window, smiling to myself. I could feel my cheeks heating up from embarrassment. "You. Are . something," I stated.

"It's not my fault all the girls want me."

He really had a way to make me feel bashful and weak and nervous. But at the same time I felt comfortable around him. He mad me feel good. He's completely opposite of what I assumed he was. He's honest and doesn't hold back. He's different from Aaron because tries. Aaron never tried. He just lied.

He spotted the address and turned the corner of the street. The neighborhood was packed with cars every where. I could see the bundles of balloons peeking from the back yard. The neighborhood was quaint - very suburban-like and very warm. The houses were a bit smaller, but still friendly. Then Nathan found a spot and he put the car into park. The music from the house could be heard through our windows. It was louder than Nathan's Frank Sinatra CD..

I unbuckled my seatbelt and held the cake box in my lap. Nathan turned off his stereo, cringed at the sound of the music that was now playing through his windows and unbuckled his seat belt too. Then he turned to me without saying a word. I felt his eyes on me so I glanced up and soon brown met with blue.

"You still think I'm a womanizer?"

"It depends on how many girls you've dated," I replied as I climbed out of the car. He took a minute in his seat before he did the same thing. He locked the car doors and we started walking across the street and onto the lawn of the neighboring houses. "So how many _have_ you dated?" I asked.

We were walking side by side, but I left a good distance between us so we didn't touch. Then I looked up at him, noticing that he wasn't quick to answer the question. It was like he was counting them in his head. I immediately grew annoyed by that fact.

"More than I could count on both my hands _and_ a foot," he finally said.

"Wow. That doesn't sound like a man-whore, at all," I joked. I walked around a lawn gnome and finally landed on the driveway of the house filled with balloons. I really hoped he was lying. Maybe he was the type of guy who dated a bunch of girls, but didn't screw them over like others.

"Hey, that's not a lot of girls. Some guys date more than that."

"Right. So they date more than fifteen girls?"

"You never know. Gene Simmons has been with hundreds of them."

"What planet are you from?" I asked, amused.

"Mars, apparently," he answered.

"You know you're only eighteen. How could you date that many girls in your life?"

"I guess I'm just a friendly guy," he shrugged. I rolled my eyes in disbelief when we finally landed on the front porch of the house. He reached over to door bell and I just watched him, unimpressed by him.

"Man whore," I whispered.

"Liar," he replied just a second before the front door flew open revealing a girl about our age. I ignored Nathan's comment and smiled at the girl. She had long, curly, brown hair and bright blue eyes; they were almost transparent. She was also wearing a pink blouse and jeans.

"Nathan?" the girl asked.

I looked at him to see his reaction. He looked confused.

"Do you remember me?" the girl asked again. Nathan didn't seem to know who she was, so he shook his head. "I'm Zoey. We went to middle school together. I was your science partner in 8th grade."

I glanced at him and noticed the twitch in his eyes when he finally remembered.

"Oh yeah, Zoey Daniels. I haven't seen you in years."

"Yeah, I just moved back a couple of weeks ago."

"Why? The town is boring as hell. " Nathan asked curiously as I just stood there while they chatted.

The girl laughed. "My mom's job transferred her back here and Beatrice really missed her friends, so we came back."

"Not going to college abroad or anything?"

"Nope, I'm staying here and going to Tree Hill U!"

"Unfortunately I'll be going to the same place."

"Maybe we'll be science partners again," she stated with a twinkle in her eyes. I immediately felt disgusted. She was already trying to work her charm on Nathan. And oddly enough, my blood was boiling. I was starting to feel a twinge of jealousy over the girl. She was gorgeous and looked like she'd be the type of girl Nathan would be interested in. It almost made my heart ache. But I didn't want to show it.

I couldn't stand them chit chatting any longer so when the opportunity was available, I interjected.

"We came here to deliver a cake for a Beatrice. I'm assuming she's your little sister," I stated.

They both looked at me. I could tell that Zoey wanted to ignore me and continue talking to Nathan, but forced herself to be kind. Nathan on the other hand looked apologetic, especially for forgetting that I was standing there.

"Yeah, she's more like my _annoying_ little sister," she stated, slowly glancing up at Nathan. "She just turned thirteen today and she thinks she's Miss North Carolina."

I let out a fake laugh and Nathan did the same. Then she motioned us inside the house that was filled with a bunch of middle schoolers parading around the place. I noticed two boys playing with a couple helium filled balloons near the foyer. One boy who was wearing a black 'Let It Be' shirt had two balloons underneath it like a pair of breasts. And the other boy, who was wearing a gray shirt, had a needle in his hand, ready to pop the balloons inside the black t-shirt boy. I almost winced as I watched the boy with the needle get closer and closer to popping the balloons. I even tried to steer clear from them since I was holding the cake. Once I heard the pop, the boy with the black t-shirt jumped backwards in pain, almost hitting me in the process.

I kind of stumbled on my step before Nathan helped me find my balance; his hands on both of my sides.

"Careful there," Nathan whispered.

"Thanks," I replied. He removed one hand and kept the other on me, sliding it from my shoulder down to the small of my back. It was like his fingers had some of type electric energy. The feel of his fingers tingled and I started to get warm. My cheeks were heating up and the only thing I was aware of was his hand on my back. I didn't even care about the cake. I was too worried about Nathan feeling the sudden warmth in my skin just because he was touching me.

He guided me towards the dining table that Zoey led us toward and he finally removed his hand. I was upset for a little bit but I got over it. I placed the white box carefully on the table and opened it. I peeked inside, happy that the cake didn't get messed up and I slowly lifted it out the box.

"Wow, that looks amazing," Nathan stated as if it was the first time he's ever seen a cake.

"That definitely looks delicious," Zoey stated.

"Haley made that," he said, looking at me proudly.

"You made this? That's great." Zoey looked at me, squinting as if she was trying figure me out. "I've never seen you around. Are you new?" she asked.

I slid the cake closer to the middle of the table and nodded."Yeah, but I'm not here for long. I'm only visiting," I answered.

"Oh well, welcome to Tree Hill."

"Thanks and you too," I replied. "I mean welcome back."

After a few minutes, Zoey asked us to stay for a while. Actually, she asked Nathan in particular to stay. She completely ignored me. She was too busy making small talk with Nathan. I don't know what it was, but something boiled in my veins. The way she was twisting her hair and making googly eyes at him – it was annoying. She even laughed at some of the things that Nathan said and they weren't even supposed to be funny. She was making a fool of herself and I couldn't stand it.

We were standing on the back porch where the tweens were swimming in the pool and dancing to the music. I stood there beside Nathan and Zoey with a plastic cup in my hands. I really wanted to leave the place. Nathan was occupied with his conversation with Zoey, so I excused myself so I could go to the bathroom.

"Okay, don't scare any little kids," Nathan advised, jokingly.

I stuck my tongue out and walked back inside the house. Kids were everywhere. Some bumped into me and some looked at me strangely. When I was searching for the bathroom down the hall, someone started poking me in the back. I turned around to see who it was and it was a young girl with red hair and freckles.

"Hi?" I asked.

"Do I know you?" she asked me, with a very stuck up tone.

"No," I replied slowly. "I just delivered a birthday cake.

"Oh, you're the chick who just came into town," she said. I gave her a puzzled look. The talk of me being around has now reached the tweens of the place. "I'm Talulah," she greeted, with her hand out. Talulah? Another strange name.

"I'm Haley," I greeted back. "Did you need something from me?"

"Um, yeah, see that boy." She pointed out the "Let it Be" shirt boy who was sitting on the couch. I saw him glance over and shyly looked away. "He said you were pretty and wanted me to ask you if you wanted to dance with him."

The boy who had two balloons underneath his shirt -pretending like they were silicon boobs- wanted to dance with me? I'm at a fuckin middle school birthday party. Nathan is out flirting with the big sister of the birthday girl and a little boy wanted to dance with me? That's a laugh riot.

"I'm flattered, but I have to go do something," I replied, looking at the girl. I glanced at the little boy and he looked really sad assuming that he overheard, and then I turned back to the red head. "Tell him maybe later."

She nodded and skipped away. I smiled when the 'Let It Be' boy's face lit up when she whispered the message in his ear. I lightly waved at him and then returned to the hallway to find the bathroom. I opened the first door, but found an office. Then I turned the knob on the room after it and found a boy my age sitting on the bed with a guitar in his hands.

"Oh sorry, I was looking for the bathroom," I apologized.

He looked up, not affected by my presence at all. He had light brown hair –tousled and curly- with brown eyes. He also had a little scruff on his chin, but not too much. And he was wearing a wife beater and jeans.

"It's down the hall," he stated, motioning out of the room.

"Okay, thanks," I said, turning away and slowly closing the door behind me. Before I could close it all the way, he called out to me.

"Aren't you Haley James?" Once again, someone I don't know knows me. I refrained from my thoughts and turned to him.

"Yea that's me, how do you know who I am?"

"Oh, I just heard about you. I think I saw you at the barbecue," he replied. I walked back inside the room with my hand still around the door knob.

"Does everyone know everything in this town?" I asked.

"Unfortunately yea," he replied, as he began strumming on his guitar. "So what are you doing in my house? Did you get invited to my cousin's birthday party or something?"

I let out a soft laugh. "Uh no. I just delivered a cake."

"Oh," he sang. He returned back to his guitar and I just stood there waiting for him to say something. But he didn't, so I turned back around towards the hallway again. "I'm Jake, by the way." I heard him say.

I turned and said, "Nice to meet you, Jake." And then I left, closing the door behind me.

-------

When I returned from the bathroom, I walked back outside to the back porch and found Zoey giggling again with a nonchalant Nathan standing beside her. I rolled my eyes before I strode back next to him and gave her a fake smile and Nathan a real one.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked me.

I opened my mouth to answer until I felt a tug at my shirt. It was the red headed girl that I was talking to earlier.

"He's waiting for you," she stated.

Oh! I totally forgot about the Let It Be boy. I turned to him as music started playing. It was something soft and slow. I couldn't let him down. I did tell him that I would give him a dance.

"Who's waiting for you?" Nathan asked, looking at me confused.

I turned to him, and smiled mischievously. "Oh just a boy." It was funny to see the look on his face. He couldn't figure it out what I was talking about. I quickly turned on my heel and walked back inside the house. I started my way towards the little boy and held out my hand.

"I heard that you wanted to dance with me," I stated nicely.

He blushed as he grabbed my hand and led me towards the rest of the dancing teens. He was sweet and cute – almost like a little brother. I glanced away from him and noticed Nathan and Zoey standing by the clear, sliding doors. Nathan tilted his head, amused by me while Zoey looked humored, almost embarrassed at what I was doing. While I was slowly going side to side, I glanced to the hallway and saw Jake watching me as well. I didn't feel embarrassed at all. I was only doing something nice for someone else because I didn't want to hurt their feelings.

But ironically, I was the person whose heart sunk while I was dancing with Let It Be boy. When I glanced over by the clear, sliding doors I found Nathan and Zoey walking toward the dance area by me, hand in hand. Soon enough they began dancing in each other's arms. I almost felt like someone punched me in the gut at the moment that I saw them. It pinched a nerve somewhere and I couldn't bear to look anymore.

"Is that your boyfriend?" Let It Be boy asked.

I looked down, away from Nathan and Zoey, afraid to show any emotion. "No," I replied. "He's not my boyfriend." I could almost hear the pain in my voice. I didn't like it and I didn't like the fact that I actually liked Nathan. I didn't come here to have some stupid crush on some guy. It was the last thing on my list.

But somehow, it happened anyways.


	10. Chapter 9 If I Fell

**A/N: **Back with another update. Another long one. Thank you for all the reviews and for those Brooke haters - unfortunately she's still alive lol. I hope you enjoy this one. I'm writing them right after the other so I'll be updating frequently :) READ AND REVIEW. I'd like to know what you think! :)

* * *

_**Chapter 9//If I Fell**_

"What?!"

Peyton paid for her corndog as I waited for her beside the food stand on the boardwalk. She called me earlier to hang out with her for a bit before she met up with Brooke at the mall. I told her what happened yesterday at the tween birthday party. I even told her about Zoey and Nathan dancing. It pained me to recall the story in my head. I know I shouldn't be angry about this because we're not even dating, but it still hurt. It always hurts when you see the person you are infatuated with in someone else's arms.

"Yeah, that's what happened," I said as we started walking down the board walk.

"Zoey Daniels, huh? I always knew she had a thing for him until she moved."

"And I think he has a thing for her too," I replied, trying not to show my sadness. "I thought you said he was interested in me."

"Yeah, I know I did," she replied taking a bite off her corndog. "And I still think he does."

"How could you even say that when he's talking to some . . . airhead," I snapped, crossing my arms.

Peyton glanced at me, lifting an eyebrow. She knew that I was getting upset about the situation. She already had a feeling that I liked him, now it's pretty obvious that I do.

"Slut," she stated.

"What?"

"You could call her a slut instead of air head," she corrected.

"I don't even know the girl." I rolled my eyes. "She could be a virgin for all I know."

"She's definitely not a virgin," Peyton stated as we started walking towards the pier. "I've heard from some mutual friends that she had some kind of reputation back in her old town."

Well that just makes everything so much better knowing that she only wanted sex from him. It added on to some of the reasons why I disliked her.

We both stood against the railing of the pier as the wind blew past our hair.

"You weren't kidding when you said that Nathan liked girls, a lot," I stated as I watched the water ripple by.

"Yeah but I'm sure he won't like Zoey as much as I know he likes you."

"He's not doing a good job showing it."

"Well he's oblivious," she said, taking another bite off her corndog. "He'll figure it out eventually. . . Have you figured it out already?"

I looked at her. She was waiting for me to admit it. I closed my eyes, feeling the ache in my chest. Then I nodded.

"Unfortunately," I answered, turning back around towards the ocean.

"It'll happen, Haley," she replied, rubbing my back for comfort. "I know Nathan pretty well and you're the kind of girl I could see him with. You're actually the only one I've approved of. All the other girls he's been with have always been kind of skanky."

I laughed at her last comment. But I still didn't want to get my hopes up. I can trust Peyton and her word, but something in me keeps putting up this wall. Like it's telling me to stop before I even start. Everything always has to be difficult when things start to get a little too comfortable.

"You know I'm only here for the summer then I'm going back to California for college," I said. "It's not even going to matter."

I heard her draw out a long sigh as she leaned forward against the railing.

"There's nothing wrong with summer love," she said.

I didn't give her a reply. It's too early to be thinking about love. Or am I in denial? Somehow I feel like Nathan could be a good guy for me, someone who I can talk to and laugh with. He's practically one of my best friends now. But I really don't want to find myself in quicksand – sinking down in the ground knowing I shouldn't have even taken that big step.

I let out a frustrated sigh.

----------

After Peyton and I chatted, she received a call from the nagging Brooke. We still haven't met up with each other since the beach incident. I was still waiting for that apology. Nathan and Peyton's didn't count because they weren't Brooke. I wanted her to personally apologize to me, but that really didn't matter right now. So I went back home. Olivia was getting better, but she was still coughing here and there. Like Merriam said, it might take a while for her to fully recover. She was still very weak.

When I walked inside, I found her watching her usual soap. She had one of those TV dinner tables in front of her with a bowl of chicken noodle soup on top. Also beside the bowl was a little leather covered book. She was reading something out of it. It looked ratty and torn.

"Hi Grams, how are you feeling?" I asked, placing my bag on the coffee table and settled down next to her. She slowly closed the book and smiled up at me.

"A little better," she replied, her voice scratchy. "I'm still kind of icky and too weak to go anywhere."

I smiled at her as I laid my head against her shoulder. She still felt a little warm against my cheek. But at least she was awake. She slowly wrapped her arm around me and kissed my hair. She leaned forward to sip the soup from her spoon and began petting my head.

"How was your day sweetie?" she asked.

"Blah," I mumbled. "I'm just waiting for you to get better. How long do you think that will be?" I asked, remembering what Merriam told me yesterday in the bakery.

"Maybe a few more days, still not sure."

"Okay." I looked at the television and watched one of the female characters walk into a hotel room and found a couple lying in bed. Obviously they were having sex. Then I heard her say "I hate you!" and ran out. I almost knew what that girl felt like. _Torn_.

"Is something wrong?" Olivia asked, as she took another spoonful into her mouth. "You look upset."

I shook my head. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Hales. Something's on your mind."

"It's nothing important."

"Important or not, you should tell me," she suggested, brushing my hair with her fingers.

I lifted my head from her shoulder and gazed at her. The color in her skin was dull, but I shouldn't be surprised, being sick does that to you. I refrained from the way she looked and drew out a deep sigh.

"Okay," I began. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to hold back whatever emotions that were about to erupt. I didn't want to look too hurt. This was just a crush, or whatever it was. It shouldn't be making me feel so damaged. "Grams, I think I like Nathan," I said opening my eyes.

I looked at her, waiting for a reaction. All I saw was a growing smile on her lips. "And what's so wrong about that? Nathan's a good guy."

"But I don't want to like him, Grams. I'm not here for a summer romance. Besides, I don't think he even feels the same way."

"Well is he nice to you?"

"Yeah."

"Does he make you laugh?"

"All the time."

"Is he honest with you? I mean, is he really honest with you?" she asked.

"I don't know. Maybe," I answered, shrugging. "He said he trusted me yesterday."

"Then there's your first sign. If Nathan's willing to trust you then that's a good thing, Hales."

"I don't think I could trust him, though. What if he's fooling me like the rest of them?" I asked.

She moved her hand on top of my mine and squeezed it in her grip. "I know it's been hard for you to trust other people, sweet heart, but sometimes you have to let your guard down and let people in," she advised. "Your past boyfriends are the past now. They are nothing compared to Nathan. He's kind and gentle. He knows how to treat a lady-"

"Ladies," I cut in.

She paused and tilted her head. "Is that why you can't trust him, because he's been with other girls?"

"He's been with _a lot_ of girls. Peyton even said so," I answered, pouting. "He's actually working on another one right now."

"You?" she asked.

I scoffed, and shook my head. "No, that Zoey Daniels girl," I said, sickened by the name. "And who knows, I just might be an addition to his collection."

"Oh stop that, Haley. Give the boy a break," she snapped. "I know Nathan. Merriam tells me the stories about him and the girls all the time. He's only been committed in two real relationships. The others were just girls he's dated a few times and nothing more. They were obviously not good enough for him."

"He's a man-whore if he's dated more than fifteen girls!" I exclaimed.

I noticed Olivia shaking her head amused by my reaction. "He's a man," she corrected. "What do you expect them to do? Curl their hair and shop all day?"

I groaned and sat back against the couch, frustrated. "I think I'm going to make myself hate him. It'll at least stop me from liking him."

"You're acting childish right now."

"Ugh, it's frustrating, Grams. One moment he's flirting with me and then the next thing you know he's talking to some chick and who is in fact prettier than I am. I don't like feeling this way. Vulnerability is not my best friend," I complained.

"Vulnerability only makes what you're feeling real," she said, rubbing the top of my hand. "And maybe she's pretty, but you are beautiful, Haley."

"I'm probably just a friend to him," I stated.

"Being friends is a start," Olivia replied. "Your grandfather and I were best friends before we fell in love with each other."

I glanced at her when I noticed her face light up at the thought of grandpa.

"Tell me about that," I asked, hoping a good story could help calm my aggravation.

"It was frustrating," she answered. "I was just like you. I thought your grandfather was this really obnoxious man when I first met him. I didn't think he had a single good bone in his body, but I can surely admit that he was a handsome devil." I smiled. Olivia really loved mentioning how handsome he was. "Oh he was such a good looking man, I couldn't take my eyes off him, but I pretended like I wasn't interested at all." Sounded just like me. "And he knew that I was pretending. Every day he'd find me and tried to make me admit that I liked him, but I wouldn't budge. I wasn't going to give in that easily," she said, once again zoning out. It was like she was back there, living the moment with him, and retracing her steps. I couldn't help but feel better at the sight of her. She still looked totally in love.

"Even though I wouldn't admit my true feelings about him, he'd still want to be around me. He liked me and he wasn't afraid to show it. Sometimes I was rude to him, but he knew that I was just playing around. Then we became really close friends. We were practically inseparable. Then one day your grandfather was really angry and upset with me. I didn't know where it was coming from, but he came up to me one spring morning; standing on my door step, his hat in his hand, and said 'I don't want to play games anymore, Olivia'. I didn't know what he was talking about at the time and what triggered him but all I knew was that I didn't like the tone of his voice. He was really angry," she laughed. "And then he said, 'I know you love me. Stop pretending because I can't take it anymore.' He looked so cute all aggravated and impatient. He looked at me, waiting for a response, but all I could do was smile. And you know what I did?" she asked me.

I think I knew. I smirked at the thought and she continued.

"I kissed him," she whispered like a little girl telling a secret. "I grabbed his face tightly between my hands and gave him the biggest kiss in the world." She smiled, her eyes watering a little bit. "It was the bravest thing and the best thing I have ever done in my life. And after that," she paused, a tear falling down her cheek. "We started our life together."

I wiped the tear from her cheek and she closed her eyes. My heart ached for her. I knew that she missed Grandpa a lot. I missed him too even though I didn't get a chance to meet him. I heard he was a great guy, and Olivia was obviously in love with him. I don't think Jim could ever take his place. Their love story was beautiful and I wished someday I could have the same thing.

"I loved him so much," she whispered, opening her eyes. "Someday that will happen to you," she said. "Maybe it could be with Nathan."

I groaned again. "I don't think it'll happen. He seems pretty infatuated by Zoey."

"Only time will tell, honey."

_Only time will tell._

--------

The next day at the bakery Zoey decided to visit. She came for a couple of cookies, but it was pretty obvious that it was just an excuse to see Nathan. It was almost disgusting for her to make excuses just to get his attention.

When it was lunch break, I decided to jet out of there before anything got awkward for me. It stung me when he was around her, flirting back. I think he was about to talk to me when I walked out the door, but I was gone before he could even let out a word.

I was in the mood for steak. I needed something to balance out the sugar in my stomach so I decided to go to William's Steakhouse. Salty meat sounded pretty delicious right now. So I crossed the street and went inside there alone. I remembered Olivia telling me that this was where she and grandpa had their first date. It felt right to be here when I entered.

I saw Williams III by the bar, sporting his long red beard. He nodded at me as he gave someone a glass of beer. When I approached the counter, a girl with short blonde hair and a lip ring came up.

"Only one?" she asked.

"Sadly, yes," I replied, realizing how truly sad that was.

She smiled. "It happens all the time here," she said grabbing a menu from the stack. "Would you like the bar or booth?"

I glanced at the booth areas and thought it would be kind of depressing to seat in that much space alone. Then I looked over by the bar and noticed a few people there sitting by themselves. _Perfect_. It wouldn't make me look too tragic.

"Bar," I said.

The girl nodded and led me around the counter, towards an available seat. Then she handed me the menu that she brought with her.

"I'm Helen and I'll be your server today. What will you like to drink?"

"Just water, please."

"Alrighty, I'll be back with your water. Just tell me when you're ready to order." I nodded as she left the bar and walked into the back room.

I started glancing through the list of food. Everything looked pretty good, but I decided to settle with prime rib instead. After I remember what I wanted, I placed the menu on the counter and glanced around the room. I saw few older men, a family, a young couple, and plenty of other people that I didn't know. Then I turned around when Helen came back with my drink. I told her I was ready to order and said prime ribs. She was pretty nice. Although her hair was platinum blonde and had a silver ring pierced in her lip, she was cool.

Being here made me think a little about my feelings toward Nathan. It was complicated for me. It's never easy to fall for someone you don't want to fall for. It wasn't intentional and I really didn't think it would ever happen. I wasn't prepared to actually find a guy I liked here. I'm trying so hard, so very hard, to stop liking him, but every time I see him, my heart begins to race. It aches when he's near me. My palms begin to get icky and I get this warm feeling in my stomach. I'm happy when he's around but I don't want to get my hopes up.

Being in a relationship with a guy who only pretends to love you and care for you is the hardest thing in the world. I was naïve and I truly trusted Aaron. He made me think that he actually listened. He told me that there would be no one else in the world for him, but then he goes off and kisses another girl, even worse, he'd sleep with them. Not one girl, like three. I put my heart out there for him in those few months, telling him how much I really do care about him. I even told him that I was a virgin and that I was going to wait for the right guy – it was something that meant a lot to me. And the one thing that I really wanted from Aaron was to respect that. But he still betrayed me. He lied to my face and thought I would believe him. Eventually I stopped trusting him, and I knew that he was not the one for me. I cried for days after we broke. That was until I realized that guys were jerks. They are dicks with faces. And maybe that's why I'm a little hesitant with showing my feelings towards Nathan. I'm scared of being betrayed again.

After a while of waiting for my food, I heard the door open. The first thing that came to mind was "Oh shit!" It was Lucas and Brooke; the girl who hated my guts for no reason and the brother of the guy that I didn't want to like. I tried to turn away from them, but Lucas quickly caught my eye.

"Hey there's Haley!" he called out.

It was too late to avoid them. They already knew I was here. So I turned towards them and gave them a fake smile. I wasn't expecting anything from Brooke, but surprisingly she smiled back. Helen was now talking to them. They looked like they were negotiating something. Then Lucas quickly glanced at me before she led them to an empty booth. As I watched them, Lucas waved me to come over.

I shook my head and pointed to my seat. I was fine with sitting by myself but Lucas obviously didn't like it. He didn't want to accept "no" as an answer, as always. I looked at Helen, she was smiling at me like she knew I was coming. Brooke didn't look so happy. She really didn't have any emotion on her face at all.

"Come sit with us," Lucas called out again.

If I didn't, they'd probably move over here so either way it was going to be awkward. I grabbed my glass of water and headed towards their table. Lucas and Brooke sat by each other and I slid on the other side, sitting across from them. They took their drink orders and then we were finally on our own.

"What were you doing here by yourself?" Lucas asked.

I fiddled with my straw and took a sip from it. "I'm on a lunch break."

"What about Nathan, isn't it his lunch break too?"

"Oh, he was busy," I answered, thinking about him and Zoey again. I cringed a little bit, hopefully they didn't notice.

"Busy doing what?" Lucas said, chuckling.

"Talking to some girl," I answered monotonously.

I noticed that Brooke quickly looked up from the menu and slowly put it down.

"He's talking to a girl? I thought he was interested in you?" I wasn't sure how to take that. Was it in a nice way or a mean way? I don't know how she wanted me to interpret that but I just answered it without an edge of annoyance.

"Her name's Zoey Daniels," I answered, avoiding her second question.

"Zoey Daniels?!" they both asked, eyes wide.

"She's back in town?" Brooke asked again.

"Obviously, we saw her the other day when we delivered a cake."

"Slut face!" Brooke exclaimed, quickly looking over at Lucas. "You better not go anywhere near that STD infested girl," she ordered Lucas.

I couldn't help but smile when she said that. Brooke apparently didn't like the girl either.

"I promise I won't," Lucas replied with a smirk. "I got you, babe." I almost spit the water out of my mouth when he said that. I couldn't believe he just quoted a Sonny and Cher song.

"I can't believe Nathan is talking to her," Brooke complained, shaking her head as she returned her gaze to the menu.

"Maybe he doesn't know what you know about her."

"Every one knows."

"I don't," Lucas stated.

Brooke glared at him for a bit. "You seriously don't know a thing about her?"

"I know that we went to middle school together."

"She's a whore," she snapped. "A skank, slut, prostitute, stripper, hoe, hooker, nympho, floozy, tramp-"

"Okay, okay. I get it," Lucas cut in. "She slept with a lot of guys."

I laughed quietly to myself as I sipped from my glass. Brooke looked pretty annoyed by Zoey and her new arrival in town. I wondered if this was how she acted when she found out about me. I still wasn't sure what made her say those ugly comments at the beach.

"That's why you should stay away from Zoey. Nathan too," she advised. "You will definitely catch something from her just by breathing the same air."

"I'll try not to use my lungs next time I see her," Lucas replied.

"Good, it's only for the best."

I laughed again. Lucas didn't seem to be fazed by it. He was obviously used to her blunt personality. I could tell that they really cared about each other. I could see it when they looked at each other. But even though they were cute most of the time, it was awkward for me. I felt like I was intruding on their date. I was sure that Brooke didn't like me being there. I didn't even like me being here.

After a while, Helen finally delivered their drinks and our orders. I was happy to have an excuse to not speak. That's what's so great about food. Once we started eating what was on our plates, I could feel the awkwardness between me and Brooke. Lucas and I were fine, we chatted a bit about California and his volunteering at the fire department. Other than that, Brooke refused to say one word to me.

I was actually starting to get irritated. At the beginning of today's lunch, I thought she was okay, but now things changed. She started pretending that I didn't even exist.

"Can you pass me the salt?" I asked, Brooke. She didn't budge. She just continued eating her food. I grew a little angry and reached over to her side of the table for it myself. "Thanks so much," I said sarcastically as I salted my ribs.

"You are soo welcome," she replied.

I rolled my eyes at her as I started salting part of my ribs.

"Nathan told me you were going to Stanford this fall. That's a really good school," Lucas stated.

"Yeah I know. I still can't believe I got in. I worked extra hard."

"I would too. That's a prestigious university. You must be very intelligent to get in there," Lucas stated. I smiled and shrugged my shoulders.

"I guess," I replied, putting a piece of rib against my lips to bite.

"So does that make you better than us?" Brooke cut in.

I slowly put the rib down on my plate and looked at her curiously. "What?"

"Since you're going to some high status college that makes you better than us, right?

"I don't think so," I answered slowly. "What makes you think that?"

"Oh I don't know, just the whole town is talking about how you're little Miss Perfect. It's getting kind of annoying to hear about it."

"Brooke, don't," Lucas stated, shaking his head at her. She glanced at him and ignored his order.

"You were here for, what, a week and you're automatically best friends with _my best friends_," she continued.

"Is that a bad thing?" I replied.

"Yes, it's a bad thing," she snapped, glaring at me. "They are _my_ friends," she repeated.

"They're still your friends aren't they? I'm not trying to take them away from you," I replied, calmly.

She scoffed. "It takes a lot of to impress them. What's so great about you? Nathan quickly offers you a ride in his car, which he rarely does. And Peyton doesn't just invite people over to hang out with her and listen to her records. That just doesn't happen. And the whole town is like raving about you and how perfect you are. I don't see what the big deal is," she complained. I don't know what the big deal is either, but she's obviously upset about it. I was getting really angry at her attitude. I wasn't going to sit back and let her act this way. I remembered what Nathan said, I should fight my battles.

"Are you mad at me because I'm stealing your spotlight?" I snapped back.

She scoffed. "No, not at all," she lied.

"Apparently you are."

"Give me a break."

"No, you give me a break." I said quickly, the tone a lower than usual. "I have done nothing to you. You have no right to disrespect me and make assumptions when you don't even know me."

"I know people like you -high achievers and city girls. You act like you're better than us."

"_I_ act like I'm better than _you_?" I laughed. "Look who's talkin. You're the one who's acting like this big stuck up bitch who thinks she owns the place. Just because you think you're so popular doesn't mean you should look down at everyone else. You should look at yourself in the mirror and reevaluate how you read people. I have done no harm to you or anyone else in this town. I don't think I deserve this behavior from someone who hasn't even gotten the chance to know me. Obviously your friends like me because they looked past everything else. They didn't judge me," I finished. My hands were shaking and the blood in my veins was boiling. All of a sudden I lost my appetite and did not want to be here anymore. That was all that I could say. I am not going to sit here in front of a girl who had no idea who I was.

I pulled out the money I owed Helen and threw it on the table. Then I slid out of my seat and looked at Lucas. "I'm sorry I have to leave Lucas, but I can't stay here any longer."

"It's fine," Lucas said, giving me a sympathetic look. I had a feeling he was going to talk to Brooke about this later.

"And just so you know, Brooke. I'm far from perfect," I said. "I'm not even close and popularity doesn't mean shit to me. I don't want it. You can have it, you can have it all!" I felt my bottom lip begin to tremble when I said the last few words. They both looked at me, like they felt sorry for me. I didn't want that. I don't like it when people felt sorry for me. So I quickly turned away.

I heard Lucas call out my name, but I ignored him and continued my way out of the place.

The moment I stepped out of William's Steakhouse, I felt my stomach clench. My hands were shaking from all the anger that had erupted inside of me. My throat was dry and I could feel the water works coming. As I tried to hold my composure, I walked down the sidewalk, avoiding any contact with the pedestrians. I couldn't stop trembling so I folded my arms across my chest to keep myself calm.

When I finally approached the bakery, I noticed that Zoey was still standing by the register talking to Nathan. My heart immediately ached at the sight. He was smiling back at her, obviously entertained and I closed my eyes for a minute. I needed to find some oxygen. I wasn't his girlfriend. Nathan had the liberty to talk to other girls, I just wished he didn't.

Then I thought, I wasn't ready to go back inside the bakery. I couldn't let him see me like this. I didn't want him to see the pain on my face. He was going to ask me what was wrong and I was going to end up lying to him anyways. And I really didn't want to lie to him, so I walked past the bakery. Hopefully Merriam and Olivia wouldn't mind. They would probably get angry, but I can't show my face in there.

And so I walked and walked. I don't know where I was going, but all I knew was that I wanted to be far away from here.

--------

After thirty minutes of walking and crying around town, I found myself at a park. There was a basketball court and a set of bleachers. I had to sit down. My feet were killing me. My flats weren't made for walking marathons, so I hurried to the bleachers and sat on the cold seat.

I sighed deeply and looked behind me. It was the river. A tugboat was floating by and I could see the boardwalk from here. Everyone looked like little ants walking down the pier. Then I looked away. I was getting kind of tired so I decided to lie against the bleachers. I didn't really care if anybody saw me, I was tired and I was going to lie down. Then I slowly closed my eyes.

"Don't you have a bed of your own?" someone stated. My eyes shot open and I noticed a familiar figure standing in the middle of the court. It was Jake. His hair was still disheveled and instead of a guitar in his arm, he had a basketball. Great, another athlete in town.

"Yeah, but I thought a nice steel bleacher would be more comfortable," I answered without any facial expression and turned away. I didn't want anyone to see my swollen eyes.

I heard him laugh. Then eventually I heard the bounces of the basketball against the concrete.

"Did you walk here?" he asked.

"Exercise is good," was all I said.

He chuckled. "Yeah it is, people should do it more often."

I sighed. I wasn't really in a mood to talk to anyone right now. Jake seemed like a nice guy but I was definitely not ready to make nice.

"What do you want?" I asked him, shielding my eyes. Good thing there was sun, so it looked like I was blocking the rays.

"Nothing," he answered."I'm only trying to make small talk."

"Well . . . I don't feel like talking right now. Go play your little basketball game," I shooed him.

"What if I sit next to you and ask you what's wrong?" His voice was now nearer and I could see him walking towards me.

"That would be a pointless idea."

"Because?"

"Because it's pointless to ask a girl what's wrong after they said they weren't in the mood to talk."

"What if I try?"

"Still pointless," I answered. "So can you please go away? I want to be alone right now."

"I just got here. I'm not going to leave."

I glared at him as he continued to bounce the basketball.

"Fine then! I'll just leave," I snapped. I sat up from the bleacher. I brushed down my shirt and stood up.

"On foot?"

"Yeah, exercise is good, remember?"

"You know I could drop you off wherever you want to go," he suggested, now holding the ball in his hand.

Another boy offering me a ride wouldn't be a good idea. "Nah, I'm going to walk."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely," I confirmed.

"Do you even know your way back to where you came from?"

"Yeah, a plane ride to the west," I replied.

"That's not what I meant."

I looked down to think about my steps. I was too busy moping to know where I was walking. So I shook my head.

"Well let's go then," he said, motioning over to his truck. "Where're you headed?"

I followed him, giving in and said, "MO's bakery."

"You work there?" he asked while I tried to stay behind him.

"Yeah, just a summer job. My grandmother owns half of it."

"Sweet Olivia," he said.

"You know her?"

"Everyone knows Olivia. How do you think everyone knew about you?"

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"She is the sweetest and kindest person in town. When everyone found out that her granddaughter was coming, they were excited."

"A little too excited. I'm not used to the sudden admiration," I said. "or hatred," I added.

"It's a small town. What do you expect?"

"Privacy?" I smiled.

"You're going to have to live under a rock for that to happen," he advised.

_That couldn't be anymore true._

**_R&R_**

**_I know there wasn't much Naley, but remember this is in Haley's POV and world. But I promise there will be more NALEY in the next chapter. =)_**


	11. Chapter 10 After Laughter

A/N: Hi loves! I'm back with another update. It took me a while to write it because I had writers block BUT I finally got it written. I hope you like it. It's NALEY filled because I promised that this update would be filled with Naleyness hehe. It's kind of shorter than usual, but I hope you enjoy it still. OTH IS BACK IN ONE WEEK. YAY! I'm super excited.

Anyways. Read and Review. I'd really love to hear what you think. And I also think you should listen to the song at the beginning. It's cute if you like oldies haha. :)

lots of love, Annie

* * *

_**Chapter 10// After Laughter**_

_When you're in love, you're happy  
When your in an arm, you gaze  
This doesn't last always _

After your laughter there will be tears

The sound of Wendy Rene's "After Laughter" filled my room as I lay across my bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. It fit perfectly with how I felt. Like this song was made for me. I was the inspiration. It is my story, my song, my emotions. I was happy when he was around me, filling me with unpredictable joy. And now, he so easily brings me to tears, making my insides knot, making me full of sadness. I don't like being like this.

The little journal Olivia gave me was opened on the very first page without a single word written on it. I never got the ability to write anything in it though. Things have been a little confusing lately; I don't think I'd be able to write it down on paper anyways.

I wondered what he was thinking about right now while I was thinking about him. Was he lying on his bed, staring at his ceiling too? Was he listening to his Frank Sinatra CD and singing along to it? Sometimes I wonder if I've ever crossed his mind and if it was a good thought. I know that he's crossed my mind a billion times. There's never a day that I don't think about him; about the way he smiles and laughs, the way his eyes change when he wears a different shirt, the way he makes my heart skip a beat every time he was near me. Everything about him makes my heart ache, in a good and bad way. It feels so unreal. Like what I'm feeling for him isn't healthy at all. It was just an illusion.

_My friends all say, don't try to hold it in  
But I can't let that guy know how I feel  
I'll try to hold back my, my, my tears  
But they keep saying_

_  
After your laughter there oh oh oh_

Yesterday when Jake brought me back to the bakery, I was kind of hoping to see Nathan be a little jealous. Unfortunately, the only thing that I saw was relief. He thought it was thoughtful of Jake to bring me back like I was a lost puppy or something. I wasn't a baby. I could've found my way home.

When I entered the store, I noticed that Zoey was still hanging around like a leech. I still couldn't believe she was still around for so long. In my head, all I wanted to do was pull her by the hair and push her out. But that's totally out of character for me. But it's Zoey Daniels! She's rumored to be a whore and Nathan's talking to her? Why her? Is he stupid or . . .? I'm not even going to think about it.

_I'll tried to hide, hide my sorrow  
I wonder can I hold them 'til tomorrow  
baby I'll hold them for a year  
(after laughter comes tears)  
but they keep saying  
after laughter now you will see those wet little tears  
(after laughter comes tears)_

"What are you listening to?"

I quickly sat up at the sound of the voice and turned to the door. And there he was, leaning against my door frame with a smirk on his face.

"Oh um," I climbed off my bed to turn off my stereo. "It's just a song." I noticed him nodding his head, and I sat back on the edge of my bed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Not too long," Nathan answered. "Just long enough to watch you stare at your ceiling." He looked up and tilted his head to the side while he observed it. "Must be something special up there," he smiled.

I rolled my eyes at him and noticed my opened booklet. I quickly put it back on my desk and said, "I was just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" he asked, my back to him. When I turned around, I found him looking at the pictures on the vanity mirror. He picked up the frame with my grandparents and gazed at it.

"Just stupid stuff," I answered as I continued to watch him. He smiled at the picture and put it back down. "I didn't hear the door bell."

"Well, Olivia was on the porch and she told me to just walk in," he answered, finally looking up at me. "She looks good."

Olivia's been feeling a lot better lately. She can finally walk on her own feet without my help. It kind of made me a little less worried about her. Her complexion was brighter and she was eating more; baking too.

"Yeah, she's been drinking a lot of liquids," I said. "Plus that Jim guy keeps coming by to check on her."

"He would do that."

"It's pretty obvious why," I stated, clasping my hands together. I was never this nervous around him before. It's like something changed in my behavior when I was around him. I think it's because I was hurting inside.

"So, what's been going on Haley?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I feel like you've been avoiding me," he stated, gently leaning against my drawers.

I looked away for a second and started playing around with the things on my desk to keep me occupied.

"I'm not avoiding you."

"Your behavior lately communicates otherwise." _Yours too Mr. Flirty McFlirter._

"Well I've been busy," I said, still trying to avoid his eyes.

"Busy with what, work? I work with you, Haley," he laughed. "On breaks, you don't even talk to me."

"Maybe I just don't want to talk," I answered, flipping all the pens over so the caps and erasers were on top.

"Are you mad at me?" he asked, sounding confused.

My hands were beginning to shake as I started flipping the pens over.

"No," I lied. "I'm not mad."

"Then what's wrong?" His voice was now closer to me and I could tell that he was approaching.

"Nothing is wrong," I answered as I started reorganizing the whole desk. It really didn't need any adjusting; I just needed something to keep my hands busy and my eyes away from him.

"Haley," he began. "Would you stop that and look at me?" he asked, now standing beside me.

I paused, swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes for a second. I could smell the sweet scent of his cologne, and I could feel my body heat up. I was getting nervous, so nervous, I felt like running. But I knew I couldn't. He was standing beside me like a body guard. There was no way out.

I slowly looked up and met up with his beautiful blue-greenish eyes again. Gazing at him made me want him so bad, but I tried to hold it back. There was this wall that I just couldn't jump over. I was scared. I was frightened. I can't let him have my heart. It's already been broken. How could I give him a broken heart when it's not whole anymore?

"Nothing's wrong," I said softly. "I'm just being a girl." I could feel the tears approaching, but I tried my best to keep them from being visible.

"Are you sure?" he asked, turning me slowly so that I was looking straight at him. "You can tell me anything, you know," he said softly, his hands against my shoulders. I nodded and he smiled at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Then suddenly I felt his hand move from my shoulder to my cheek. He started caressing me and I could feel my breaths starting to fade. His touch made me melt. His calloused fingers softly stroked my soft skin; it was delicate against my own. It felt almost perfect. My pulse was accelerating and I started to zone out.

"You're not a good liar, you know that?" He smiled as she removed his hand away from my cheek and rubbed my shoulders. "There's something that you're not telling me. I could see it in your eyes," he continued, squinting.

Am I really that transparent to him? I was always the kind of person who was good at keeping all my emotions inside and holding in all my secrets, but somehow Nathan oddly found a way to see through my façade. It was interesting that he could read me so well and I couldn't really figure him out at all. That's what was so intriguing about him. So I admit that he was unpredictable. He's spontaneous and . . . confusing. He was completely different from Aaron. I could read Aaron like a book, that's why I took my chance and jetted off. But Nathan, he kept luring me in. No matter how different he was to Aaron, he was still a guy with a motive. Somehow someone's going to get hurt in the end.

He released his grip from my arms and started walking to the door, his back to me as I strained to find the right thoughts. "So come on, let's take a walk," I heard him say. I looked up and saw him turning slowly on his heel. "We need to catch up," he added.

I let out a deep sigh and grabbed my cardigan that was hanging from the desk chair and followed him out the door. Olivia was sitting on the porch drinking a glass of lemonade and smiled at us as we past. Nathan said he'd bring me home early. She gave me a secret wink when Nathan's back was turned to her. It was like a little good luck charm for me.

-----

"So are you going to tell me what's really going on inside that pretty little head of yours?" he asked.

I glanced at him and noticed that his expression was soft and sincere. He had his hands in his pockets, and his hair was messy again. And I tried to find the right way to respond to that question without revealing anything at all.

"I've just been feeling a little . . .,"I began, touching the top of a white picket fence of a house as we walked. "Weak," I finished. It wasn't' a complete lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either.

"Weak? Are you sick or something?"

"No, it's a different kind of weak like you want something so bad, but somehow you can seem to grasp it," I explained, looking at him. "I'm just kind of tired of wanting," I added, looking down at the sidewalk as I kicked a few rocks to the side.

"I think everybody's tired of wanting," he said. "But we're human and that's all we do. _We want."_

"It's annoying," I snapped. "Why can't we just stop being so needy? I mean, it only hurts to keep craving for something you can't have."

"But that's the fun part about life."

I looked at him confused, "Fun? Hurting is not fun."

"Well it helps. Without pain there is no growth."

"With pain . . . there is _pain_," I emphasized. I felt his eyes on me and he started to laugh. "What?"

"Who would've known that pain was painful?"

"Oh hush, I'm just stating a fact here," I replied, hitting him lightly on the arm. "I'm saying that pain isn't something people should experience all the time just so they could grow up a little bit. It's called common sense. If you want to stay away from something that you know can harm you, then stay away from it." It seemed like I was giving advice to myself in front of him. This whole time I've been debating whether I should take a step forward and let him know how I felt, but then I knew that somewhere along the path there will be damage.

"So what do you want so badly?" he asked as we continued walking down the sidewalk.

"I'm not telling you," I stated.

"Why not?"

"Because this is something I'd like to keep for myself."

"Oh, I see you have secrets now," he said slowly, looking at suspiciously.

"Everybody has secrets," I replied. He was looking pretty retarded right now, but it was cute none the less. "I'm sure you have tons of them."

"Nah, not really. I don't really hold anything in."

"Now you're the one who's lying. Everyone has something to hide and that's including you."

"Maybe I do."

"I knew it, so tell me," I ordered.

"Nahh."

"Just tell me!" I begged.

"I'm not going to reveal anything until you confess yours," he smirked.

I scoffed. "That would be a no," I said. I wasn't going to reveal anything to him about how I felt about him. But maybe this could be a good opportunity. I think I should take it. And another side of me tells me I shouldn't.

"Then my mouth is zipped," he stated, pretending to close his mouth.

"That's fine, I don't care about your secrets anyways," I replied, sticking my tongue out and walking faster in front of him.

"You can't fool me," he called out as he caught up with me. Once he found his place back beside me, he took a moment before he said anything. "So, I heard what Brooke did to you. That was a pretty bitchy move."

"You think? I'd like to steer clear from her for the rest of the summer."

"I highly d-"

"Doubt it," I cut in. "I know I know. I can never avoid anybody here, _no matter how hard I try,"_ I glared at him for a second. "I just want to stay away from Brooke Davis for as long as I can. I'm really not in the mood to stress over stupid drama."

I heard him chuckle as we found our way to a little park with a swing set and jungle gym. It made my face light up because it reminded me so much of my childhood. So I skipped off the sidewalk and sat in one of the swings.

"I haven't been on one of these in years," I smiled as I pushed against the dirt to help me swing.

Nathan watched me for a minute before he started walking towards me. "Lucas said you stood up for yourself," he said, standing in front of me with his hands in his pockets, looking almost too sexy for my liking. "I'm glad you took my advice."

"That I turned her into stone?" I joked, swinging forward.

"No, but I'm sure she was stunned which is almost closed to turning into stone," he replied. "But I'm glad that you decided to fight your own battles."

"What can I say? Little Miss San Francisco is growing up," I smiled. "Are you proud of me?"

He stepped closer and pushed me back when I swung forward. "Yeah I'm pretty proud," he said. He pushed me one more time before he decided to take the swing beside me. I felt the swing set lower, when he settled into his seat. He was heavier than I thought he was.

Then I returned back to the thought of him and Zoey. I wondered if he had feelings for her and if there was anything going on between them other than talking in the bakery every single day. So I found the courage to ask him about her.

"So are you and Zoey a thing now?" I asked, looking down at the dirt below me.

He was quiet for a minute before I looked up to see his reaction. It wasn't the face that I was expecting him to have. Nathan looked pretty amused by my question.

"Is that what's going around town?"

"I don't know, is it?"

"Well, to answer your question," he began as he glanced at me – looking me straight in the eye. "Zoey and I are not a _thing."_

Suddenly I felt like a bunch of weight was lifted off my shoulders. I was thrilled to hear that they weren't a thing but I was still a little worried if they would ever be more.

"Do you like her?"

He chuckled and said, "You mean like her, like her? Or just like her as a person?"

"Whichever," I shrugged.

"Well, Zoey's a nice girl. She's obviously attractive." I rolled my eyes at that. "But she's not exactly my type. I've been with girls like her and know how that goes."

My pulse was accelerating and I could feel the temptation to smile, but I didn't want to look happy by the information that I just heard. I was smiling in the inside though. I finally had a chance and I wouldn't have to hurt so much, even though I had an inner battle to deal with- the kind where I choose to open up my heart to someone without being hesitant.

"You've been with girls like her?"

He nodded. "Just a couple. I thought it would be possible to kind of change them for the better, but they obviously didn't think with their brain."

I laughed. "That is so tragic. I still can't believe you've been with –what- fifteen girls? It still irks my mind," I said as I pushed myself.

"It's not that complicated Haley," he stated. "I counted the elementary girlfriends."

"You what?" I asked, stopping myself with the heels of my shoes. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"So you had a girlfriend every year?"

"I only had two real girlfriends," he corrected. "The others were just dates and flings. And the ones in elementary school and middle school lasted about a week or a day."

"So you're not a man whore!" I laughed.

He started to chuckle at the same time and shook his head. "If I was, I'd probably be with Zoey right now doing who knows what." I couldn't even imagine that in my head. If I did, I'd probably hurl right now.

"What about you?" he asked.

"What about me?"

"How many guys have you been with?"

"Are we telling secrets now? Because I think we're telling secrets now."

"If we are, then let's continue telling secrets. I've already told you one of mine. Now you have to return the favor," he stated. "And speaking of favors, you still have to sing to me."

I let out a frustrated sigh and slowly swung back and forth. "I thought you had forgotten."

"I don't forget," he smirked. "So come on, let's hear it."

"Grr," I glared at him before my thoughts of Aaron and another one of my boyfriends came into my mind. And it immediately reminded me of how much it killed me to be in those relationships. "Just like you, I've only been in two relationships."

"No flings? Dates?"

"Nope, just two real relationships that unfortunately ended in a bad note."

"Tell me," he said softly. "I'd like to hear the story."

"They're pretty tragic," I replied.

"Mine are pretty tragic too."

I looked at him and noticed the orangey light of the sun reflecting over his skin. And I felt like someone was pulling me away from him and telling me to not confess anything about the past. It had only been between me and Olivia. These were stories that I never wanted to tell anyone else. I didn't even tell my mother about the real issues in my relationship with my past two boyfriends. But when I gazed at Nathan's loving eyes, I just knew that he would be that other person I could tell my secrets to.

"I dated this guy once my freshman year. I was young and naïve. And it was my first year in high school, so I really wanted to have a boyfriend. His name was Cameron. He was a junior at that time and he was pretty nice at first," I began, biting my lip as I tried to remember the story. And I stared at Nathan for a second, just so I could see the expression on his face. He was listening.

"He was um . . . a baseball player. I would go to his games all the time to cheer him on and I'd notice him smiling at me while he talked to his friends by the benches. I thought it was because he was happy to see me there. I mean, what freshman wouldn't think he was? So we dated for a few months and he really made me happy. I even thought I was in love for the first time in my life. And so one day when I came to visit him at his house, his parents weren't home so we spent a few hours in his bedroom . . . I told him I wasn't ready, but he didn't listen," I paused and looked down at my fingers, trying to keep myself from trembling. "He kept pushing me and yelling at me because I didn't want to do anything that he wanted me to do. I was scared and frightened, and he kept forcing himself on me. The only thing that I could do was kick him where it hurt the most and I ran."

That was the worst relationship I had ever been in. It was probably the only one that I really wanted to forget, but I knew I couldn't just erase my past. It was always going to be there no matter how hard I tried. When I had stopped for a second to breathe in some oxygen, I felt Nathan grab my hand for comfort.

"Then there was Aaron," I continued. "We dated for a couple of months in the end of last year. He used to be this bad little kid when were younger. He was actually the first guy who has ever broken my heart. But anyways, we both grew up and I oddly found myself attracted to him and he finally felt the same way. So we dated for a while until I realized that he spent more days hanging out with his _friends_ rather than with me. He went to tons of parties and he really had the tendency to lie. But I had my connections, so I wasn't stupid when he said them. He actually convinced me that he was actually a good guy. I mean, he said that there was no one else in the world for him. And I was dumb enough to believe that."

I paused for a second before I said the next part - the one about my purity. It wasn't something that you would just tell a guy, but since I was already confessing my tragic love life to him, it wouldn't be so bad to add in that fact. After my bad experience with Cameron, it was a decision that I made for myself and my dignity.

"I told him that I was going to wait until I actually was in love with someone before I would ever give up my . . . virginity. And he said that he respected that. He said it in the most sincere and kindest way possible. Again, I believed him. I guess, he couldn't wait for me so he decided to release himself to a few girls at a few parties. I was devastated. I hated him for it. I hated that he disrespected me. I hated that he lied to me and made me believe that he actually cared for me. I put my heart out there for him and he crushed it. So I ended it. After those two relationships, I realized that I was never in love with any of them at all," I finished."I was a pretty naïve and stupid girl," I added.

I didn't feel any tears or anxiety. The only thing I felt was the ache in my chest and Nathan's fingers wrapped around my hand.

"You're not stupid," he said. "Those guys are stupid. It kills me to hear that they've hurt you like that."

"Well . . . it happens."

"I'm shocked. I mean . . . it's _you_. You're Haley. I would've never thought anything like that could've ever happened to you," he stated. "It's surprising to hear that the so-called Perfect Girl is actually really tainted inside."

"I told you I wasn't perfect," I said softly. "Tragic, huh?"

"I don't think it's tragic. It makes you a little bit more human."

**R&R**


	12. Chapter 11 Stupid Boy

A/N: HI LOVES! THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS. HERE'S THE NEXT CHAPTER. TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!! I didn't spell check or do any grammar checks either so I might have a few errors throughout the chapter, but I will fix that. BUT ANYWAYS this was a fun chapter to write. I hope you like AND REVIEW! I love you all.

3 MORE DAYS 'TIL OTH IS BACK ON!! YAAAYYY!

* * *

_**Chapter 11// Stupid Boy**_

Nathan and I talked a little bit more about our past relationships and almost everything we could come up with, before we walked back to Olivia's. The whole time I was thinking about how much closer I felt to him. I was able to open up my deepest darkest secrets to him and I was never able to do that with anyone else except Olivia. Olivia was my rock, the only person I depended on when life got hard. But now I felt like I had two of them. Nathan had become such an inspiration to me. He had a way with words to make my worries disappear. And he had no idea how much I had fallen for him.

"So what song are you going to choose?" he asked, swinging slowly beside me.

I quickly turned away shyly. I wasn't ready to sing anything to him right now. Although I was in glee club, it didn't mean that I had the ability to just sing to anybody. A whole crowd was easy to sing to, but singing in front of one person and looking directly at them while you sing is intimidating.

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah and don't forget, I have to sing too," he laughed.

"That's right!" I smiled. That made me a little less nervous.

"So come on," he said, lightly patting my knee. "I want to hear this voice that Olivia's been raving about."

"Oh gosh. First of all, I blame her for this little favor you're making me do. And second of all, I hate you, you know that?"

"That's totally fine with me as long as you sing," he smirked.

I rolled my eyes at him, and lightly punched him on the shoulder before I thought of what song I wanted to do. It had to be something that was based only on vocals, so I chose a Beatles song. I sang to their songs all the time and the one that I loved to sing in particular was Hey Jude. It had such a beautiful story and lesson in it. So I decided to sing that to him.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad.  
Take a sad song and make it better.  
Remember to let her into your heart,  
Then you can start to make it better._

Hey Jude, don't be afraid.  
You were made to go out and get her.  
The minute you let her under your skin,  
Then you begin to make it better.

"And that's all you're getting from me," I finished.

He started to lightly clap as I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. "I'm impressed. You have a beautiful voice."

"Thanks," I said, softly.

"I think you should be a singer," he advised.

I laughed. "I don't think so. I'd like to stick with my college plan ."

"Who knows, you might hate Stanford and quit. If that ever happens, singing could be your back up."

I looked at him strangely. "I'll let you know if that ever happens."

"I better hope so," he said. "Include me in your speech when you win a Grammy."

I couldn't help but think how cute he looked persuading me to be a musician. It was sweet of him. Being a musician was never what I thought my future job would be, but it was something that I loved to do. He kind of opened a new door for me.

"I'll think about it," I said. "Now it's your turn, Mr. Big Shot. Sing me song," I laughed, lifting an eyebrow at him.

"Don't be jealous if I sing better than you."

"Oh, I won't."

"Okay here it goes." I had a feeling this was going to be something I would never forget. "I . . . like BIG BUTTS AND I CAN NOT LIE." _Oh God! "_You other brothers can't deny . . ." _Facepalm! _"That when a girl walks in with an itty bitty waist and a round thing in your face, you get SPRUNG!"

"Stop! Don't continue!" I halted him as I laughed hysterically at the way he was rapping and moving his hand like he was scratching a record. "You did _not_ just do Baby Got Back," I smiled.

"Jealous, huh?" he smiled.

"Oh yeah I'm very jealous." _No not really_.

"I think I should win a Grammy for that performance," he joked.

"Truthfully," I began. "That was terrible."

He started to chuckle and stood up from the swing. "Thanks for being honest."

"No problem."

-----------------

"You have to be careful when you decorate around the edge," Eliza stated as showed me how to ice the vanilla cake we were working on.

I nodded, and then continued to ice where she had left off. She stepped back and started working on the candied flowers beside me. Right next to her stood Peyton wearing one of her vintage band t-shirts and a cupcake in her hand. It was a busy day at the bakery. People were ordering things like crazy.

"So my mom is hosting the Summer Fest Ball this weekend and she's been nagging me about what dress I should wear and who I should go with. I'm really getting sick of it," Peyton stated.

"River Fest Ball? Gag!" Eliza complained."I'd hate to be you right now."

"Tell me about it," Peyton said, biting into her cupcake. "That's all she's been talking about this week. I'm going to cringe if I hear one Miley Cyrus song on her playlist."

I laughed at that as I pushed my bangs away from my eyes. "What's the River Fest Ball?" I asked, still focused on the cake.

"It's a stupid event where you have to dress up and bring a date to," Eliza answered. "It's like prom except with _older people_," she added, almost grossed out.

"Yeah, it's basically like prom except you don't have to wear a fancy gown just something cute, but you have to bring a date. It's kind of mandatory. Nobody goes to the ball stag, it's like social suicide. They sell tickets today and everyone's already asking each other out. If no one goes to the ball, they are either snacking it out at the River Festival or sitting at home being a loner," Peyton explained a little further. "The whole town gets involved."

"And I would be that loner," Eliza stated.

If these two weren't so excited about this ball, I don't think I should be excited either. It does sound like fun, but then again my prom night wasn't as magical as I hoped.

"And I'll be the one snacking it out at the festival," I stated. I finished the last of the cake and placed the icing tube to the side of it.

"Come on, girls," I heard Peyton say. She put the cupcake she was eating down on the counter and looked at both of us. "I have to go to this thing. My mother is hosting the fucking event. I want you two to go. It would make my life so much easier."

Eliza and I glanced at each other. I could tell that she really didn't want to go. I couldn't even picture her in a sundress since she only wore black and gray every day to work. She was definitely a unique person compared to everyone else in this town. But knowing that fact, I felt like we should go just so I could see her dress up in something colorful for once.

"We don't even have dates," I said. "Besides, isn't Brooke going to this?"

"I am not going," Eliza stated. "The last time I went to this pointless event was when I was thirteen years old."

"Well, it's a start and Brooke and I aren't really talking right now. After I heard about what happened, I decided to show her what its like to be mistreated."

"I am not going," Eliza repeated as she started handing me the candied flowers that she was making. "Start making a little circle in the middle of it," she ordered me softly. I nodded and began gently adding the pieces on top.

"I don't think you should stop being friends with Brooke because of me," I said. "You two were friends way before I came along."

"We're still friends. I do this to her sometimes so she could get her mind straightened up. Plus her reasons for hating you were dim," Peyton replied. "She'll get over it soon."

"Yeah," I said.

"I'm still not going," I heard Eliza say beside me as she handed me a flower. I laughed at her.

"You're going," Peyton stated, pointing at Eliza. "Both of you are," she said, wiggling her finger at both of us. "I'll find ya'll dates. I'm sure it won't be that hard."

"I'd rather dance in a crack house than go to this Pleasantville ball," Eliza complained. "Do I really look like the kind of girl who would go to these events? I mean really?" She was wearing a black v-neck blouse and dark jeans with converse. Her style looked almost like Peyton's style except darker and less punky.

"We could give you a makeover, so you'd look like the kind of girl who goes to these events," Peyton smiled as she picked up her cupcake and bit it. "After I find you a date."

"Oh gosh, kill me now!" Eliza complained, finishing the cake and grabbing a white box to put it in.

Peyton and I started to giggle as she gently packed up the cake and set it on the cold shelf. After that, it was our lunch break so we headed off to Williams Steak House. Nathan wasn't at work today. He had something to do over at the fire department. It kind of made me sad when I noticed that he wasn't around.

I was happy that I found girlfriends like Peyton and Eliza around here. I could talk to them like my friends back home. We all had a lot in common like music, movies, and books. I love talking to Olivia about everything, but it's different when I talk to girls my age about things because they are my peers and we can really relate to each other.

When Helen served our food, I noticed a couple people looking at us like we were freaks. Maybe it was because we were a random group. Peyton was popular, Eliza was not, and I was the new girl who really didn't have any position in any clique at all. It didn't bother me though. The only thing that bothered me was the fact that they kept whispering and looking at us. We weren't famous, so why stare? But I ignored them anyways.

"So I was thinking," Peyton began, adding a French fry in her mouth. "That Chris Keller would be your perfect date, Eliza."

Eliza suddenly stopped chewing on her food and shot Peyton a dark look. I smiled when I noticed her mouth was covered in barbecue sauce. "I am not going with him. He is the epitome of all arrogance in this whole town. You can not make me go to this event - which in fact I don't even want to go to- with that slob!"

I cut a piece of my steak when I noticed Peyton pull out her handy dandy cell phone. "I think I have his number somewhere in here," she smirked, scrolling down her address book in hope to find his name.

"Don't you dare!" Eliza cried out. "Give me that phone!" She reached over to grab it but Peyton scooted in her seat to keep it away.

"AH HA!" she cried out. "I found it. I think I'm going to call him!"

"I'm going to kill you!"

Peyton pressed a button on her phone and placed it against her ear. I couldn't believe that Peyton was actually going to call this Chris guy. It was pretty funny seeing Eliza all worked up about this.

"Hello?" I heard Peyton say. Eliza finally stopped trying and settled back down in her seat next to me. I glanced at her and noticed the anger in her face. "Hi, this is Peyton Sawyer, and I was wondering if you knew Eliza Evans? . . . Yeah, mm hmm. . ." Peyton glanced at Eliza and then to me and nodded. "Yes, she's the cute pale girl . . . Oh, really?"

Eliza turned to me and said, "Is she really doing this?"

I smiled at her and shrugged. "I guess."

"I am going to strangle her with my purse," she said through her teeth. I laughed at that and returned to my food.

"Okay, well I was wondering if you'd like to be her date to the River Fest Ball this weekend," Peyton continued, winking and smiling at us. ". . . AW! . . . Terrific!"

"No," Eliza snapped.

"She's super excited," Peyton laughed. "Buy the tickets at the boardwalk! I'll give you more details. . . Okay, thanks bye." She closed her phone and stuffed it back into her purse.

"So he said yes?" I asked.

"Yep and he sounded pretty thrilled to go with you Eliza," she smiled, adding another French fry into her mouth. "I think he has a thing for you."

"I can't believe you just did that!" Eliza pouted. She poked her pork chop with her fork and glanced up.

"You can say 'thank you' now that you have a date. You're not going to be a loner during the ball. And I forbid it." I couldn't help but laugh at these two. It almost seemed like they were friends before. They clicked instantly and they didn't clash at all, except maybe right now. But other than that, they were able to hang out and talk to each other without thinking about their social status.

"Who are you going with, match maker?" I asked.

"I don't know. I'm sure my mother has someone already picked out for me like she has already picked out the colors of my wedding," Peyton replied. "That's what is so annoying about having a mother who lives off of my dad's money. She doesn't have to work. She plans and aggravates me."

After Peyton finished complaining about her mother, we started to discuss potential guys that could be our dates for the ball. Immediately, Peyton and Eliza mentioned Nathan. They both knew something was going on between us and it was pretty obvious that I wanted him to be my date. They said they had a feeling that Nathan might ask me, but I wasn't sure yet. Then Peyton started naming a few other guys that I had no idea who they were. And as were discussing possible dates, I noticed a familiar figure walking up to us along the aisle.

"Hey ladies," Jake greeted.

"Hey Jagielski," Peyton stated patting him on the arm.

"So have you all gotten your dates for the ball this weekend?" he asked.

"I'm not going," Eliza said. I looked at her and laughed.

"Oh she's such a kidder, she's going with Chris Keller," Peyton smiled.

"Mr. Keller, he's cool."

"Vom!" Eliza cried out, looking down at her plate and ignoring Jake. He stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking pretty nervous right now. I had a feeling he came here for a reason. And it was either for Peyton or for me. I was hoping it wasn't for me.

"So Haley," he began, leaning down to rest his elbows on the table. _It was for me. _"I was wondering if you'd like to go with me to the ball." Peyton and I immediately exchanged looks and she looked stunned. Her eyes were wide and I could tell that she didn't see this coming. Jake was a nice guy and I just couldn't deny his request. We were friends and it was just a ball, right? It was nothing more.

"Yeah, sure," I answered. I could hear the uncertainty in my tone.

"Great! I'll buy the tickets today and I'll call you later," he said.

We exchanged phone numbers and he hugged me before he walked out. Then I glanced at Eliza and she gave me this look that said 'what did you just do?" I was thinking the same exact thing.

"Well that was quick. You two got dates in like an hour. And half of it was my work," Peyton smiled. "But why the hell did you tell Jakey boy that you were going to go with him? I thought you wanted Nathan to be your date?"

"I know, I know, but Jake is a sweetheart. I couldn't say no," I replied.

"You know you're going to regret that, right?" Eliza asked.

I looked at her and my heart just sunk. I couldn't already be feeling like I did something completely wrong. It wasn't so bad. Was it?

"Let's just hope that it's fine with Nathan," Peyton stated.

"I don't think he would mind," I said.

----------

After Peyton left, Merriam put me in charge of the register since Nathan was nowhere in sight. The whole time I was thinking about what Eliza and Peyton said. They were right. I was going to regret going with Jake. All I wanted to do was run around town to find Jake and tell him I couldn't go. But I was too nice to do that to him. Jake is a cool guy. I bet he'd be a good date anyways. One thing that I'm only worried about is leading him on. I don't want to lead him on. He doesn't deserve that from me.

"What's it like being behind the register?" I looked up and saw Nathan walking through the door with a jacket hanging over his arm. My face lit up and glanced back down to continue organizing the tray of money.

"Wonderful," I answered. He walked closer and gently leaned against the counter across from me. "I feel so powerful holding all this money." I held a handful of green in my hand and started waving it in the air.

"That's exactly how I feel when I'm behind there. It's like you're touching gold."

"Definitely gold," I smiled, placing the bundle of money back into its rightful place.

"So did you hear about the ball that's happening this weekend?" he asked.

I paused for a moment before I closed the tray. "Yeah," I said. "Everyone's been talking about it all day."

"I know. It's always crazy around this time of the year. It's worse the prom."

"That's what I heard," I replied, sitting on to the stool behind me. "Are you going?"

As I waited, I watched him grab a handful of the newly filled candy basket. "Yeah, I was going to talk to you about that," he answered as he unwrapped the piece of chocolate in his hands.

Suddenly I felt my stomach churn at the thoughts that were flooding my mind. I was afraid of what he was going to say next. Before he continued, a few customers walked in and started browsing the place.

"I always bring a date to this thing, so I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?" he asked. He pulled out two tickets from his pocket and my heart literally sunk. I could feel myself getting sick when I saw the tickets right there in hands. He had already bought them like he knew I was going to say yes. He knew. I couldn't say or do anything at that very moment. I was speechless.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing that I hadn't said a word. "I know it's kind of weird of me asking you since we're just friends, but I thought it would be cool to go together."

"You-you already bought tickets for us?" I questioned, nervously.

"Yeah," he chuckled. "I figured you'd say yes."

I opened my mouth, but nothing could come out. Then Jake's name kept repeating itself inside my brain. I wasn't good at this stuff. I mean, it was easy to tell someone no, but this was _Nathan_. How could I say no to him? I didn't want to, but I had to. Plus breaking the news to him about me going with Jake made my heart ache. Nathan seemed pretty confident that I was going to go with him. He looked really happy, but I had to drop the bomb.

"I c-can't go with you," I stuttered.

His face fell and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?" he asked.

"Because," I sighed deeply. My nerves were now taking over and I couldn't control myself. "Jake already asked me."

"Oh," he said. At that moment I noticed the way his expression changed from curious to upset. I've never seen him this way before. It was new to me. I usually like to see new things, but I didn't like this one. "When did he ask you?"

"During my lunch break," I answered, trying my hardest to be soft spoken.

"I never expected that he was going to ask you," he said, pulling the tickets away from the counter and shoving them back into his pocket. "I would've known if he had told me."

Jake and Nathan were buddies. I'm surprised that he didn't even mention anything about me to Nathan. I guess Jake knew Nathan was going to ask me, so he beat him to it.

"I'm sorry, Nathan," I said, giving him an apologetic look.

He shook his head, and didn't even look me in the eye. "No, it's fine," he said. He started to scratch the back of his neck and stepped back."Um, I'm going to go out for a bit," he said, finally looking up at me.

"Nathan," I repeated. "You just got here."

"Look, I have an extra ticket that I bought with my own money, so I'm going to go find someone else who's willing to go with me," he said in a offensive tone before he started for the door.

"Nathan! "I called out. "He asked me first, don't get mad at me."

He stopped on his tracks and turned on his heel. "I'm not mad at you," he said, softening his voice. "I'm just . . . a little annoyed that I bought these tickets for us and you're not even going with me. Really? You said yes to Jake and not me?" he asked.

"Don't blame me on this. Jake is a nice guy and I couldn't say no to him, plus I didn't know you were going to ask me. Why are you so upset about it?" I asked, growing a little angry by his attitude.

He scoffed and began to chuckle. "Forget it," he said, shaking his head. "I'm going to find a date."

My mouth opened to say something, but he was already gone. I felt like all four walls in that room were falling down on me. What did I just do? Maybe this was my fault. I said yes to Jake, but does that make me the bad guy? I couldn't be the bad guy. Jake was a nice person and I said yes to him because of that reason. I didn't know that Nathan was planning on buying tickets for us ahead of time. If I had known that was going to happen, I would've rejected Jake's request. Eliza and Peyton did tell me that Nathan would be a potential date, but they never said he was actually going to do it. Jake came first. He beat him to it.

But deep down, I felt like I was torturing myself. After all this time of wanting him and developing feelings for him, I made a huge mistake. This whole time I wanted so much to hate him and dislike him because I didn't want to get hurt. But now all I want to do is like him even more. I want him around me all the time. And I had the slightest feeling that he felt the same way. I've never seen him so upset before. If we were just friends, he wouldn't have acted that way if we weren't. He would've just let it go. Yet he acted like a jealous boyfriend.

--------

"Would you like some perfume, Hales?" Olivia asked as she walked into my room.

We were getting ready for the River Fest ball and I had the worst feeling in the last few days. I was getting cold feet. I really wanted to back out of this whole thing and stay in my room. But I really wanted to know who Nathan chose to bring to the dance.

I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled at Olivia as she handed me in the perfume bottle. I sprayed it once around my neck and then onto my wrists. I picked out a strapless lacey white cocktail dress that stopped above my knees for the event and wore my hair down in curls. Olivia bought me a new pair of heels to match with my outfit and gave me a pearl necklace to accentuate my neck.

Olivia finally recovered from her illness and was ready to go out into town. Jim had asked her to go to the River Fest Ball too so she was dressed up in a beautiful floral outfit and heels. She had lost a little bit of weight, but she looked gorgeous anyways. Her health still worried me though. She was fragile now, so hopefully the ball wasn't too harsh on her. Luckily Jim was a former doctor; he could help her with her pains.

"Just because Jake is your date doesn't mean you have to be attached to this hip the entire time," Olivia stated, as she adjusted my dress for me. "You can dance with _other_ _people_ too." When she meant _other people_, she was referring to Nathan.

As I was applying pink lipstick on in front of the vanity mirror, I let out a huge sigh. "I'm not sure if I want to go through with this," I said, looking away from the mirror. "I feel kind of sick," I pouted.

"This is one of the few events of the summer that everyone goes to, sweetie pie," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "You're going because I want you to enjoy simple things like this."

"I don't think simple is the right word," I said.

We both stared at each other for a moment, knowing what was going on in the other's mind. We didn't even have to speak to get anything out. During that, I heard the door bell ring. My stomach suddenly flipped at the sound and I glanced away and back to the mirror.

"That must be Jake," Olivia stated.

"Or Jim."

"Whichever, but I'm going to go down and answer it. Finish getting ready and we'll head out." She gently pinched my cheek and walked away. I looked at myself in the mirror and all I could see was a scared little girl. Someone who was afraid of getting hurt and getting too close. A girl who was afraid of regret, guilt, and lies. I was a mess. And here I was, dressed up for a little ball with the wrong guy because I was afraid of the real thing.

Jim had arrived first, but Olivia refused to leave before me so they waited until Jake came. He drove into the driveway with his truck and it wasn't the same thing as Nathan's vintage car. It was the opposite. The car ride to the River Fest Ball was pretty awkward. I could tell that Jake was trying to impress me. It was sweet of him to do that, but something inside of me felt uncomfortable. Like this wasn't where I was supposed to be right now. None of it felt right. But Jake looked nice in his clean cut suit.

Olivia and Jim were cute. He gave her a little rose and a kiss on the cheek and Olivia looked so happy. Even though Jim wasn't Grandpa, like Jake wasn't Nathan, Olivia didn't seem to be in the wrong place like I was. It made sense. Jake and I didn't make sense.

When we finally arrived, I noticed that we were inside a large white tent area. There were little white lamps decorating the place like it was sparkling. It was really beautiful. The festival was just a few yards away. It was lit up in lights and I could see the Ferris wheel above the tip of the tent. The people there were like little ant figures roaming around, but there wasn't a lot. There were more people here than over there.

People were walking in pairs towards the entrance. Someone was standing near it, taking in their tickets and wrapping something around their wrists. Jake gave me his elbow to hold onto and began walking towards the tent. The whole time, I was searching high and low for Nathan, Peyton and Eliza. I wanted to see Nathan's date and Peyton's too. I just wanted to see Eliza's face standing next to her date for entertainment. But no one was in sight. Maybe they were inside already.

Jake gave the person at the entrance our tickets and she wrapped a clear bracelet around our wrists. She said it was for proof just in case we wanted get out and then decide to go back in.

It was pretty huge inside the place. I didn't think a tent could be so beautiful, but since this was hosted by Peyton's mother, I wasn't so surprised. She seemed like the perfectionist. There were tables for us to sit in and a dance floor in the middle of it. I looked farther away and noticed a stage and close by it was the food table. It almost looked like it was set for a wedding. But it fit well for the event.

"You want me to get you a drink?" Jake asked.

I looked away from the crowd of people and nodded at him. "Yeah sure."

"What do you want?"

"It doesn't really matter," I smiled. He nodded and turned away to find the drinks.

I stood there, browsing the place when I finally saw Eliza enter with her date. She looked gorgeous in her black halter dress. Her hair was up in an elegant ponytail and she actually looked pretty normal. She didn't seem like the type of girl who liked to do researches on the local ghosts. Standing beside her was a tall guy with feathery hair, similar to Elvis's but blonde. He didn't look so bad. He was pretty cute. And Eliza looked like she agreed with me by the way she was smiling constantly at him.

I waved at her to get her attention and she excused herself from her date to approach me.

"He's cute!"

"I know, right?" she smiled. "You look good!" she said looking at my outfit.

"What changed your mind about him? I thought he was a slob."

She shrugged and took a quick glance to stare at him by the entrance. He nodded at her and she turned back to me.

"I don't know. Something came over me when he finally called me yesterday. He wanted to hang out before we came to this and we instantly clicked," she replied. "Did you know that he aspires to be a ghost hunter too?" she asked excitedly.

"No way!" I exclaimed. "That's too perfect."

"I should thank Peyton for this," she smiled. "Have you seen her anywhere?"

"No. I've been trying to look for her, but there's no sight." I looked around us and I found Brooke and Lucas entering the tent arm in arm. "But I see her best friend from hell," I said, staring at the couple.

Eliza turned around to see them, and then we both continued to stare when I noticed Nathan outside the entrance. He looked really handsome in his outfit. He wore gray slacks with a white button up shirt. I couldn't see who he was with, but I saw a hand wrapped around his arm. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I was nervous to see his mystery girl. When Nathan and his date got his bracelets, they both finally entered the tent. The moment they walked in my jaw dropped.

"You have got to be kidding me," I said when I noticed Zoey linked to his arm.

"Of all people, he asked the slut to be his date." Eliza and I turned around at the sound of Peyton's voice and noticed that she was wearing a pretty green dress that stopped above the knees like mine.

"Where were you and where the hell is your date?" I asked her, confused to see that she had no one beside her.

"Oh, he's somewhere around here," she replied, looking around the crowd like she didn't care. "My mother set me on a date with some football player who graduated a year before me. The first few minutes of small talk contained nothing but the word football. I think my brain shrunk." We both laughed at that before I turned away to see Zoey and Nathan again. They sat the table with Lucas and Brooke, and that was surprising to me since Brooke hated Zoey. It was an odd group.

"Hurts doesn't it?" Peyton asked, leaning close to me. I zoned out from staring at them and glanced at Peyton. "You're regretting it, aren't you?"

"I told you why I said yes," I answered.

"That's a sweet reason, Haley, but you're only torturing yourself," Eliza said as she lightly patted me on the shoulder.

"Speaking of your date, where is he?" Peyton asked.

"He went to get me a drink."

"Yeah, well I can't keep my date waiting, so I'm going to go meet up with him," Eliza stated as she started walk off. "Oh!" She turned around and faced us again. "Thank you, Peyton!" Then she returned to Chris.

"I'm so good," she smiled.

"Here you go." Jake walked up to us with two champagne glasses in his hands. Obviously there wasn't champagne in them since we were underage, but it wasn't like we couldn't find alcohol anywhere here. Instead it was Sprite.

"Hey Jake," Peyton smiled.

"Hey Peyton," he replied. He handed me the glass and I thanked him.

While Jake and Peyton continued to stare at each other in front of me, I quickly glanced at Nathan and Zoey. The first thing that I noticed when my eyes turned their way was Nathan's stare. He was looking at us, watching me, but then he quickly turned away.

Jealousy raged through the veins in my body at the site of those two being together. How could he bring her to this event when he told me that she wasn't his type? Was he trying to make me angry? If he was, he's doing a good job at it.

Peyton's mother walked by us and ordered her to find her date, before he lost his way around here, so Peyton lazily left us, and said she'd meet with me later. A few moments passed and the DJ started playing a good song.

"Do you want to dance?" Jake asked as he reached out his hand.

Again, I glanced at Nathan and noticed Zoey snaking her arms around his muscles. I cringed and quickly turned to Jake. "Sure." And he guided me towards the dance floor with the rest of the crowd and we began dancing.

Jake held my hand as we started to move our feet and hips to the sound of the Black Eyed Peas. I wasn't sure about everyone else, but I was having a good time. Everyone was now dancing around us. I even saw Eliza and Chris dancing almost about two inches from each other. Peyton and her date were like five feet apart. He was moving side to side while she looked like she was doing the Macarena. A few people down from her were Lucas and Brooke, doing the dirty again. I wasn't surprised. Then near them, I noticed Zoey sliding her hands across Nathan's chest as he had his hands against her waist. I couldn't even stomach the sight.

I didn't like how he was dancing with her. She was moving her arms across his body like she was about to have sex with him. I couldn't even fathom the right emotions at that moment. It was disgusting. I was hurting so much. I couldn't even catch my breath because it seemed like someone had knocked all the air out of me.

First I was dancing like no one was watching me, then I slowly stopped moving and found myself standing there in the middle of a crowd feeling empty. If someone was recording a video from above, you could pin point me in a snap. I was like a chicken in a crowd of ducks.

"Haley, are you okay?" Jake asked me, leaning closer to me.

I was emotionless and I really didn't care about anything in that moment.

"I'm fine," I said. Then I thought that I wasn't going to go through this night on a clear head because watching them groping each other was the last thing I wanted to see. I needed something to blur my vision. I wanted something to drown myself in to keep all the pain away. So I slowly stared at Jake and asked, "Do you have any alcohol? I really need some right now."

**R&R**

**The next chapter will be a mixture of Haley's POV and Nathan's and maybe Olivia's ****  
It's going to be a fun chapter to write. Tell me what you think? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**


	13. Chapter 12 I Never Told You

**A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! I appreciate them all. Here is the next part. There's a little bit of Nathan's POV in here. I think I'm going to start adding other people's POV in the upcoming chapters so we can get a better glimpse of their thoughts. But remember this is mostly HALEY'S POV! :) This is her world. I'll only add the other people's thoughts if it's needed like this one. I hope you enjoy it! P.S. BABYCAKES! haha I knew you couldnt resist. I love the review and totally love the username. LOVES!**

TOMORROW WE HAVE NEW OTH!NALEY! I'm super excited! It feels like it's been years!

Here's the next chappy. **READ AND REVIEW READ AND REVIEW! HEHEHE.**

-ANNIE

* * *

_**Chapter 12// **_**I Never Told You**

"You think you've had enough?"

Jake tried to take the wine glass away from me but I pulled it back. I only had a few glasses of wine that I snatched from the bar. No one caught me which was a surprise. I kept drinking whatever I could find for some reason. I didn't know what got over me but I was really hurting inside. Seeing Nathan and Zoey together was too hard to bear. Nathan and I weren't even dating. We were just friends. That's what he told me. _Even if we were __just friends__, I thought it would be fun to go together. _We were just friends. Only friends. Friends! Friends! Friends! I hate that word.

"Look," I snapped, motioning my finger at him. "I have so much going on in my mind right now. _I need this_."

"We should get a drink of water and you can tell me about it," he said reaching out to grab my glass.

"No," I said. "I don't want to tell you."

Jake stopped reaching for my glass and put his hand on my back. "Well, lets at least get some water," he stated, guiding me through the crowd.

My body had the tendency to overpower me. I could never take control of it. And I blame it on Nathan. So far it happened when he was inside my head. I don't get drunk like this. I never get drunk over a boy. It's never gotten that far because it just . . . _didn't_. I know that I've been hurt before, but somehow this feeling is different. I felt something for Nathan. It wasn't the same feeling I had for Aaron or Cameron. I had fallen hard for Nathan almost to a point where I thought I was in love. But I'm not. I can't say that. I am not in love with Nathan Scott. That won't happen. I think that I'm getting it confused with a stupid high school crush. It's just an infatuation.

While Jake was carefully guiding me towards to the drinks, I saw Peyton and her date. She turned to me and I noticed her head tilt. Soon enough she was walking closer to me. It was hard to keep myself balanced, but at least Jake was here to hold me up. Other than that, I wanted to escape. I wanted to get far. So far that no one could see me at all.

"Haley?" she asked, now by my side.

"I can't talk right now," I said.

She stepped back from the smell of my breath and looked at me curiously. "Have you been drinking?"

"She found a few glasses from the bar," Jake answered.

"Haley," Peyton snapped.

"So," I replied, stepping away from Jake. "I'm hurting Peyton," I continued, placing my hand against my chest. "Do you have any idea how much it kills me to see him with someone else?"

She stepped forward and tried to give me some sympathetic hug but I didn't want any of that. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to be drunk and alone right now because nothing could heal me. This was what I was trying to avoid this whole time. I wanted to stay away from . . . love . . . no . . . lust? I don't know, whatever this is, I wanted to stay away from it. Even if I tried my best to keep away from this type of situation, it happened anyways.

"Please, don't," I said, stepping away from them. "Okay?"

"Haley, let me help you," Peyton said, stepping forward again.

I shook my head and slightly stumbled against someone behind me. "You can't," I whispered and then glanced at Jake. "I'm sorry."

I felt both of their hands graze my arm, but I wiggled myself out and tried to get lost in the crowd. I didn't want them to find me. So I hurried away to find another glass or bottle to drink from. Why do we have to fall for people we can't have? It's probably the worst quality of a human being because it's something you can't control. Love makes you do crazy things. It brings the worst out of you. It is painful because you're either both in the game or not. And I felt like I was the only one who was playing.

"Haley," I heard Peyton call out.

I quickly turned around and spotted her blonde curls approaching me quickly. I turned back and noticed a bottle of wine just hanging around on someone's table. No one was sitting there, they were probably dancing, and so I snatched it and searched for the nearest exit.

As I fought my way through people, I spotted Olivia and Jim sitting at a table. She lightly patted Jim's shoulder and started to laugh. He looked like he was telling her a joke. It was either funny or Olivia was flirting back. Jim smiled and placed his hand on her hand. And they stared at each other for a second and I literally saw her cheeks turn pink. At least Olivia was having a good time tonight. If anybody had to have a lovely night, I'm glad it was Olivia. She's been sick lately and she deserved to spend a night with the man she liked.

Luckily Jim didn't hesitate to show his feelings. Why couldn't guys be like that? You know old fashioned and sweet? No one courts anyone these days. It almost seems like the girls have to do all the chasing around here. What happened to sweet phone calls, chocolates, and flowers? What about love letters and surprises? Nothing's like that now unless you're already in the relationship. But maybe it does happen, just not to me.

I unscrewed the bottle of alcohol and pulled it to my lips, taking a quick swig. I glanced at them one last time and turned around to find the nearest exit.

The alcohol was slowly blurring my vision and I had no control of my body anymore. I started losing my balance as I fought through the crowd. I took one step and I quickly fell to the floor, the bottle breaking beside me. When I tried to get up, I accidentally pressed my hand on a piece of glass and I squinted from the little pain I was able to feel. I was too numb to feel the pain, but when I felt someone grabbing me by the waist, I quickly slapped them off me.

"Are you okay?" the guy asked. I turned around and pushed him away from me. I didn't need anyone's help right now.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped.

"I'm just trying to help you," he said.

"I don't need anyone," I said, stepping around the pieces of glass and leaving my mess there. I found another bottle and stepped out of the crowded place.

----------

**Nathan's POV.**

Even though I came here with another girl – who was somehow wrapped around my arm right now – I couldn't stop thinking about her. I was devastated when she said that she was going to the ball with someone else. Not just anybody. She was going with Jake. He was one of my good friends and I never expected him to ask her. I knew that they were becoming friends, but I didn't suspect that he liked her. And that really pissed me off because he should've told me. Haley was in my life now, and I thought it was pretty obvious that I was interested in her.

"Do you want to dance?" Zoey asked. I looked away from the crowd and glanced at her.

"Maybe later," I answered, turning back to the crowd to find her. The last time I saw Haley she was by the bar, snatching a few glasses. She looked really upset. I knew it was because of me. I came here with Zoey of all people. I told her that I didn't like her that way, but I did it to see how she reacted. Not to torture her, but to see if she felt the same way about me.

"Later? We only danced once all night," Zoey complained.

"Well there weren't any good songs," I said.

"They had plenty of good songs. They just played Lady Gaga," I heard Zoey say.

I sighed deeply. The reason why I wasn't dancing was because I didn't want to dance with Zoey. The whole time I was waiting for a song that Haley would listen to so I could politely ask her to dance with me. I was sure since Jake was one of my good friends, he would've let me dance with her. But I couldn't find her anywhere.

"I hate Lady Gaga," I said, browsing around to find her beautiful figure in the crowd. When I first saw her in that lacy white dress, I never thought she looked any more stunning. The color brought out her soft tan skin and her hair framed her face so flawlessly. The dress outlined her curves so perfectly and it made me want her more. She almost looked angelic in the light. And I was mad that I wasn't the first one to see her like that.

"I can't believe you just said that," Zoey stated. I ignored her and finally found Peyton standing by Jake. Right beside Jake was Haley. She looked a little tipsy by the way she moved. I noticed his hand against the small of her back and I cringed.

I watched them carefully. It looked as if Peyton and Haley were arguing about something. I noticed that Haley placed her hand against her chest and started to shake her head. She stepped back a little and stumbled on the person behind her and left. Immediately, I wanted to jump up and find her. I wanted to know where she was going so I could see her.

"Are you listening to me, Nathan?" Zoey asked.

"What?"

"I was talking to you and apparently you weren't."

"Sorry," I apologized as I tried to keep my eyes in the crowd. I heard a faint crash near the exit and I spotted her leaving the tent. That's when I knew that I had to catch her. "I'm going to go to the restroom," I said, standing up and walking away without listening to anything that came out of Zoey's mouth.

I quickly ran through the crowd, dodging people as they past and danced to the music. Peyton and Jake were no where in sight. They were probably looking for her as well. But I still wanted to find her. I needed to see her. I wanted to apologize and tell her that Zoey didn't' mean anything to me.

When I stepped out of the tent, I saw a little figure sitting on the grass watching the Festival across from us. The Ferris wheel was huge compared to her. But she looked beautiful anyways. As I was walking up to her slowly, I noticed that she had a bottle in her hand. I shook my head and realized that I had driven her to drink.

"Nathan?" I heard someone call out from the entrance. I turned around and found Peyton standing there.

"Yeah?"

"You caused that," she said, nodding her head towards the small figure on the grass.

I looked back at Haley and saw that she was looking at us. And then she slowly turned away, looking back at the Ferris wheel.

"I know," I answered.

"Go fix it," she advised.

I followed her order and started making my way towards her. I had my hands in my pockets and finally found myself settling down next to her petite self.

"Hey you," I greeted. Her eyes were red and puffy when I glanced at her. I knew she had been crying. Her mascara was smeared below them and I reached over to wipe it off with my thumb.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, nervously looking at me as I rubbed her cheek. "Aren't you supposed to be with Zoey?" She didn't' take one glance at me.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said. She was looking down, holding her hand. I noticed that it was bleeding and she was wincing at the same time. I pulled away from her cheek and quickly took her hand in mine. "What happened?"

"Nothing!" she snapped. "I fell on a piece of glass, it's nothing."

I lightly pressed on it and I heard her squeal a little bit. "It's deep." I quickly tore a piece of my shirt off and gently grabbed her hand and wrapped it around her cut.

"OW!" she cried. "Stop that!"

"You need to put pressure on it to keep it from bleeding," I advised, finally tying the fabric in a knot. I could see the blood seeping through and I held it for a while.

"There," I said. She looked down at her hand and slowly turned it around. She glanced at me and I could see how tragic they looked. She quickly turned away and returned to the bottle she had beside her.

I watched her pull it towards her lips and I grabbed it out of her hand. "I think you had enough for tonight."

"Give me that!" she whined, reaching for it. I pushed her away from it and I threw the bottle out onto the grass and broke it. "Why did you do that?"

"Because I don't like seeing you like this," I said, looking at her frustrated.

"Like it matters," she pouted.

"You can't change your personality over night, you know."

"My personality hasn't changed."

"So you've always had an alcohol addiction?" I asked. She glanced at me and shot me a dark look. "I'm just worried about you, Haley."

"Stop worrying about me," she snapped. When I saw her face, all I could see was the pain that I caused. I did this to her. I didn't' want to be the guy that caused her any anguish. I didn't want to be one of the guys who hurt her. After she told me the stories of her past boyfriends, it surprised me to see how broken she really was. The thought of someone touching her and forcing her to do something she didn't want to do, made me angry. How could anyone do that to Haley? _My Haley. _I would never lie and cheat on her. She's become so important to me since she arrived. She's all that I could think about it these days. She made my stomach flip flop when she was around. I hadn't felt that way in years. And I really didn't want to lose her now before anything even started.

"I have to be," I said.

"You shouldn't have to," she whispered. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"I can see that you're doing a great job at that," I replied, looking at her wound.

She didn't say anything. She shook her head and licked her lips before she started to speak again. "Please leave," she said. "I don't want you here."

"I'm not going anywhere," I said.

"Then I'm leaving." She attempted to stand up quickly, but her balance was off. She fell a few times before she finally found her stance. It wasn't long until I found myself catching up to her. This was not the Haley I knew. I've seen her a little tipsy before, but this was a different side of her. I never wanted to see her this way again.

"Where are you going?" I asked.

"Home," she answered.

"You can't go home, Haley, Jake brought you here." She didn't say anything. Stopped in her tracks and focused her attention across the yard towards a couple holding hands and kissing.

"I am supposed to be mad at you," she cried turning to me, slurring her words as tears fell down her cheeks. "I am angry and mad! You can't be here!" Her voice started to get louder. She looked confused as she was saying these words. I was curious to know what was going on in her head right now. I know that she wasn't thinking straight because of all the alcohol, but I felt like she was holding something back. "I hate you for making me feel so . . . stupid. I hate you!"

"No you don't," I said, coming closer to her and bringing her in my arms.

"Yes I do!" she responded, pushing away from me, but she was too weak so I grabbed her. "I hate you!" She started punching me as she spoke. And I'm going to be honest, it hurt to hear her say that, but I wasn't going to believe it.

I pulled her tighter to me and embraced her in my arms to keep her still. "I know you don't hate me, Haley. Okay, you don't." I whispered, holding her head against my chest. I caressed her curly hair between my fingers and I felt her breath through my shirt. And then I heard her mumble _I hate you_ again until she started to cry.

-------

**Haley's POV.**

My emotions were overwhelming. I couldn't control them anymore. I wanted so bad to show him how angry I was. He showed up to the dance with another girl. I didn't do anything to him to deserve this breakdown. He was the one who caused the ache inside my chest. I have the right to be angry, right? I don't even have to be his girlfriend to feel heartbroken.

But here I am, against his chest and his arms wrapped around me as I cried. Out of everyone in here, the guy I was supposed to be mad at is the one who is trying to comfort me. And I felt so safe in his arms. I said I hated him. I said it more than once, but he didn't believe me. I was trying to say it with meaning, but deep inside I knew I was lying. I didn't hate him one bit. That's what's so hard about this situation. No matter how hard you try to hate that one guy, you still had feelings for him.

"I'm sorry, okay?" he whispered, rubbing his hand against my arm. "I was a dick to you. I was mad that you were coming here with Jake instead of me. So I brought Zoey here to make you angry, but now I regret it because I don't like seeing you this way."

I didn't say anything as he spoke. I was still against his chest as he held me. I felt his hand comb through my hair. The alcohol was starting to kick in and I felt myself fading out. I knew that I wasn't going to remember this in the morning. Good thing that Nathan was here instead of someone else. I don't know what I would've done with myself if I passed out here and someone took advantage of me.

"Haley?" I heard him say but then everything started to fade. "I'm going to bring you home," he said and he led me towards his car. From there, everything was a blur.

The next thing I know, I was hearing voices. I don't know where these voices were coming from until I opened my eyes and found myself in Olivia's living room. The sun was beaming directly out of the window and I strained my eyes.

"Oh thank you, Nathan," Olivia said. _Nathan?_ I slowly sat up on the couch and suddenly felt my brain pounding against my skull. I looked down at my outfit and noticed that I still had my dress on. I touched my head in attempt to stop my headache, but that wasn't working and I noticed that my hair was a mess. Then I heard clanking noises from the kitchen across from me and it hurt my head like hell.

I sat up from the couch and looked at my hand. My palm was wrapped in a white piece of fabric with a bloody stain. It took a while for me to remember how this happened and I shook my head at the memory. I couldn't feel the pain then, but I could feel every pain on my body right now.

As I crept inside the kitchen, I saw Olivia flipping a pancake over the stove. She turned her head to me and smiled. I did the same. Then I looked over by the breakfast table and saw Nathan pouring a pan full of hash browns on a plate.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking at them curiously.

Nathan looked up and immediately smiled. "Hey, are you feeling better?"

I gave him a look, wondering what happened the rest of the night. Everything wasn't clear enough for me to remember. "My head hurts," I answered.

Olivia stepped away from the stove and came over to embrace me. "That's why we decided to cook you breakfast. Nathan was nice enough to stay here to keep an eye on you."

Nathan stayed here? All night? Hopefully I didn't snore. Of all things that I should be upset about it, I was hoping that I didn't' snore? I supposed to be mad at him. Or not? I don't even know.

"Gram, I want to apologize if I did anything last night to embarrass you," I said.

"You don't need to. No one really paid attention anyways since you weren't the only one drinking," she smiled. "Now come sit down, eat your food."

I bit my lip and found my place at the table. Olivia turned her back to us and I looked up at Nathan as he sat down across from me. I tried to observe his face to find a clue to this whole morning. He started adding hash browns to his plate and two eggs. I noticed that he was still wearing the same outfit from his yesterday. There was a torn part and I connected it with my hand. Then he finally glanced up.

"What are you doing here?" I mouthed.

"You don't remember?" he replied.

I shook my head as he handed me the plate full of eggs. I only took one and then put a ton of hash browns beside it. Hopefully we didn't do anything last night. I will punch him in the face if he took advantage of me.

I heard the sound of the stove turn off and Olivia came over with the plate of pancakes. Nathan and I didn't continue our conversation because it seemed like something did happen and I had no clue what it was. Obviously Nathan didn't want to talk about it in front of Olivia. So we started to eat.

We discussed her date with Jim. She said that she had the best time. I knew that she did because I remember watching them. They looked really happy. It had been a very long time since she dated. I wasn't surprised since she was insanely in love with Grandpa. But it's never too late to love again. When I looked at her smile, I felt like I was watching a school girl having her first crush. It was adorable.

Then soon enough we finished our meal and I helped pick up the dishes. I turned on the faucet, poured a little bit of soap on the sponge and started cleaning the plates. Nathan stayed behind me and wiped the table. I was nervous to talk about last night. I knew that I was a wreck. I was mad that he found me that way, but I couldn't stay mad for that long. I left the place to be on my own that night because I didn't want anyone especially Nathan to see me self- destruct. I was glad that he found me though. I don't know what else I would've done if he hadn't brought me home. I would've gotten more than a wound on my hand.

"How were the hash browns?" he asked, throwing the dish towel over the sink beside me. I turned off the faucet and placed one of the plates in the dry rack.

"Good," I answered, pulling a few sheets of paper towel from the roll to dry my hands. I glanced around the kitchen to see if Olivia was still here. She probably went upstairs to get ready for the day.

He nodded and didn't say anything. I could tell that he was trying to find a way to bring up last night again. I walked away from the sink and threw the paper towels in the basket and leaned against the counter.

"Haley, in case you didn't remember," he said, leaning against the counter adjacent to me with his arms crossed. "I'm sorry. I know that I hurt you last night by bringing Zoey. It was wrong of me."

"Okay," I said. I couldn't say anything more than that because I was still afraid to tell him how I felt.

"Okay? That's it?" he asked. "Nothing else you want to say?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat and shook my head. "No," I said.

"I'm not clueless, Haley!" he said. "I know you weren't mad at me because I found someone else to bring to the ball."

"Then why was I mad?"

"Because I didn't bring _you_," he answered.

I scoffed. "You think you know me that well, huh?" I asked, angrily.

"Yes, I think so," he nodded. "You need to stop holding everything inside. I know it's killing you. I can tell, Haley."

"I'm not holding anything in!" I lied; confused by the way he was talking to me like he knew what was going on in my mind.

"You're lying again!" he stated. He stepped closer to me. His face was now softer than before. "Do you want to know what you said to me last night?" he asked.

I tried to collect my thoughts from it. It was hard to figure out. I knew that he found me outside and I told him to leave; I remember that part. Then I remembered walking away and saying that I hated him. Was that it? Everything after that was hazy.

"I said I hated you?" I replied.

"No," he said, shaking his head. "You said you loved me," he finished.

Immediately, my heart started to beat faster. My eyes widened from surprise and said, "What! When?"

"Last night when I brought you home," he replied.

"No, I couldn't have said that." I shook my head lightly and tensed up. "There's no way I could've said that. I was drunk, Nathan, I had no control!"

"That's the point," he replied. "You control everything you say and do, and for the first time in a while, you finally exposed what's really been bothering you," continued.

"That's not possible," I said, stepping aside. "I didn't say that!" I couldn't have said that. I hate the fact that I didn't remember saying it. Those three words were hard to say when sober. I can't believe I said it to him. _I love him?_ No, it's too early to say that or feel that way for a person. I am getting confused right now. My heart was racing, my palms were sweating, and the blood was rushing up my cheeks. I had no control.

"But you did," he said, walking closer to me. "When you said you hated me I told you I didn't believe it, _but I believed this_."

I looked up at him and noticed how close he was to me now. "_I chose the wrong words_," I said softly. He chuckled as I felt him take my hand in his – the one that didn't have the wound. He pulled it to his lips and kissed the inside of it. I stood still as I watched him. "What are you doing?" I said breathlessly.

"I know you don't love me yet, but at least I know how you feel about me," he said, slowly caressing my cheek like he did the other day. My stomach started to flutter at the feel o f his touch. His calloused fingers smoothed over my skin and I looked at his beautiful blue-green orbs. Our gaze locked and I felt him getting closer to me. I lightly closed my eyes when I felt his lips against mine. I stepped closer and pressed mine harder on his. His fingers tangled themselves in my hair and I did the same. It was one of those kisses that beat all kisses grouped together. He didn't go any further to push me away. He was gentle but passionate. Everything that I had felt for him ignited in the little space between our occupied lips.

And I couldn't believe he was kissing me. He wasn't kissing some blondie at a party. He wasn't kissing an ex-girlfriend. And he was definitely not kissing Zoey. _He was kissing me- Haley James. And suddenly everything surrounding us didn't exist anymore. It was only me and him._

**_R&R_**


	14. Chapter 13 When I Look At You

A/N: OH DEAR! YOU ALL MUST HATE ME! I am so sorry for the late update. How long has it been? A month? I am so so sorry. Some things have been keeping me away from making a new update. Final exams, a broken computer, and writer's block took over. But now I'm back. I hope you all didn't give up on the story. I'm here now. I hope everyone is enjoying their Summer Break and celebrating SEASON 8 PICK UP!

HOPE ALL IS WELL! I LOVE YOU

XOXO ANNIE.

* * *

**Chapter 13 When I Look At You**

"What in the world is going on here?"

I quickly pulled apart from Nathan and we both turned to the kitchen entrance and found Olivia standing there curiously.

"Grams – we were just uh –," I began.

She took a step inside and grabbed a few papers from above the fridge and said, "I'm not that old, baby. I know what you two were doing." She started flipping through the envelopes and glanced at us with a blank stare. "If I had known that this was what Nathan was up to, I probably wouldn't have let him stay over."

"Olivia, you've misunderstood. This is not why I stayed," Nathan stated, taking a few steps towards her. "I –"

"Don't hold your breathe, Nathan," Olivia said with a smile on her face. She grabbed the enveloped she needed and put the rest back on top of the fridge. "It's okay. Don't get your panties in a twist."

I started to giggle when I saw Nathan's expression. He looked completely embarrassed, but at the same time he still looked absolutely cute.

Olivia looked at her watch and then said, "It's still early. So if you want to keep your job, you should start heading home and get ready for work."

"Yes, ma'm," Nathan replied. He nodded at Olivia and then turned to me with a smile. "I'll see you at work then?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'll see you at work."

He was hesitant at first to give me another kiss because Olivia was still in the room, but he just gave me a kiss on the cheek instead. We both said our last goodbyes for the morning and I watched him as he left the house. As soon as we heard the front door slam shut, Olivia came up to me with a mischievous smile.

"Look at my granddaughter," she stated, wrapping an arm around my shoulder. "I have a feeling you're going to have a good day today, don't you think?"

I couldn't help but believe that she was right. This was probably the best part about finally confessing your true feelings to the person that you really want. The butterflies in my stomach are flapping their wings really fast right now. And the weight on my heart has been lifted. I've never been so happy in my life, yet I was so scared at the same time.

I was so excited to see Nathan again. Now that he knows that I really like him, it's a lot easier to be around him. When I finally entered the bakery, I found Nathan standing behind the counter already in work mode. But when he saw me walk into the place, he glanced up and gave me a smile that was only meant for me.

"Haley, do you feel okay today?" Merriam asked, from the kitchen entrance. "Nathan told me you weren't feeling too well last night."

"Yeah, I was down, but he definitely made me feel a lot better," I answered. I looked over at Nathan and he was smirking while he was talking to one of the customers.

"I better hope that means something else," Merriam stated, grabbing an apron from the hooks.

"Oh, don't worry. It's not what you're thinking, Nan," Nathan stated, picking up two blueberry muffins from the display cabinet.

"Good," she replied. "But I'm glad you're okay, Haley."

"Thank you, Merriam."

"We have a busy day today, so get prepared," she began. "After last night's festivities, we need to make a lot of hangover pastries. Some of the people in this town partied a little too much."

I let out a laugh and grabbed an apron from the hook and wrapped it around my waist. I was probably one of those people who partied too much. But I don't think I would call it partying per say. It was more like me drowning myself in alcohol. I wouldn't mind having a hangover pastry. Even if I did have a huge breakfast, I still feel the need to eat one.

When I walked into the back of the bakery, Eliza was already there mixing up a batter.

"Haley, you're here!" she cried out. "I didn't think you were going to show up after last night. You looked really messed up."

"I was a wreck wasn't I?" I replied, standing beside her.

"Yeah, I was really worried. But good thing Nathan took care of you. If it wasn't for him, you'd probably be lying on someone's lawn right now."

I let out a laugh. "Yep, good thing Nathan was there," I smiled.

"You don't look like you even have a hangover," she stated, looking up from the bowl of batter.

"I had a really bad hangover earlier this morning, but somehow I feel a lot better."

"What did you do?"

"I just had a really good breakfast," I smiled again.

"It must've been a million dollar breakfast because you're glowing."

"It's because I made it," Nathan stated from the doorway.

Eliza quickly glanced at both of us at the same time as if she was trying to solve a math problem. "Wait a second. He made you breakfast? Did you two –"

"No, we didn't!" I replied quickly.

"We just kissed," Nathan explained. "After she told me she loved me."

Facepalm! "Okay, I didn't really mean to say that last night. I was just really upset and I guess you were there so it just happened."

"So you don't love me?" Nathan asked jokingly.

I started to feel embarrassed and tried to avoid his eyes. "I never said that."

"So you _do_ love me?"

I glared at him playfully and quickly turned to Eliza. "So what do we need to make today?"

"I'm making blueberry muffins right now, but you can start making a new batter for the chocolate chip muffins."

"Alrighty."

"Are you avoiding me now?" Nathan asked again, jokingly.

"No I'm not avoiding you, Nathan."

"It looks like you are. I think it's because you secretly love me."

I was starting to get frustrated with Nathan joking around about my confession last night. That boy thought he was so funny. So I took a hand full of flower from the package and showered it all over his face. Eliza and I busted out laughing as soon as we saw his face.

"Oh, you're going to get it now," Nathan stated, grabbing a handful of flower from the package.

My eyes widened and I ran away from him as quickly as I could. He looked like a ghost with all that powder all over his face. I kept running around and he kept chasing me.

"Get away from me!" I cried out.

Nathan was making a lot of mess with the flower. It was sprinkled all over the floor and I had a feeling we were going to get in big trouble shortly. Soon enough Nathan caught me and smothered the left over flower onto my hair.

"I'm not cleaning that up," Eliza stated as she mixed her batter.

We both chuckled. I patted my hair and noticed a light cloud form and I quickly glared at Nathan.

"You look cute," he smiled.

I stuck my tongue out at him and smiled back. "Come on, Mister Flower Power, we need to clean this up before your grandma yells at us."

After hours of baking and designing cupcakes and cookies, I was finally done with work. Today was the busiest day I think I've ever worked since I started. Who knew so many people were going to show up and order so many desserts. I even noticed Brooke and Lucas walk in with an order of a dozen pastries. I wasn't sure if it was for them or for a whole family. It didn't really surprise me. Those two were the first ones to get drunk at that beach party.

I decided to go home after work. I never got a chance to sit down throughout the day - too many orders and too much baking. Merriam and Olivia didn't even give us a lunch break. We were surrounded by food so what was the point of going out and buying it somewhere else. Even though I was stuffed with sugary sweetness, I needed something else to balance it out. Pretty soon, I'm going to be sick of sweets.

Later tonight, Nathan wanted to spend time with me. He said we were going to have something similar to a first date. Even though we've hung out alone before, he wanted to do something that was a little bit more romantic. It was really sweet of him to do something like that for me. It kind of made me nervous. I'm not too sure what to expect. Or to expect anything at all.

While I was in my room, I found the blank book that Olivia had given me the first day I arrived. And I finally had something good to write in it. After what I've been through, I think it's time to write it down on paper before I forget. It was kind of like my own little diary.

I was almost done writing about my summer when I heard the door open and close. The sound of Olivia's keys dropping onto the foyer table was clear. Olivia was home and I couldn't wait to tell her about tonight.

"Haley, are you home?"

"I'm here, Grams!"

"Alright, making sure. " I finished the last few sentences in the book and quickly closed it. I hurried down the stairs and saw Olivia grabbing a glass of water.

"Is it still busy at the bakery?" I asked.

"It's dying down, finally. John, Merriam, and Eliza are still there. I'm sure they can take care of the rest of the day," she replied, sipping from her glass.

"Yeah, they're good at that," I replied. "So, Grams, Nathan and I are supposedly having our first date tonight."

"You are? That's so great! I knew things would work out between you two," she smiled. She pulled me into a hug and combed her fingers through my hair.

"I don't know what I should wear though. He wasn't very specific about the events tonight."

"You've been on a few first dates before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, but they usually tell me if we were going to see a movie or eat dinner or something. Nathan didn't say much about it at all."

"Well since this is probably a special first date, my guess is to wear a casual dress and leave your hair down."

"That sounds good to me," I smiled.

"I'm sure it's going to be a good one. I hear that Nathan's a romantic. So try not to fall in love too fast tonight."

I laughed, and gave her one last hug. "I'll try not to."

"I thought we were going to a fancy restaurant."

Instead of going to dinner, Nathan brought me to the River Fest. It was still going on for the weekend. I haven't been to the fair in forever so I'm glad we went somewhere casual.

"I figured since we're just starting out, I should bring you to a smaller venue," he said. "What, are you disappointed?"

"No, this is completely fine," I replied as we walked around the fair. There were different booths with men shouting at the citizens to play games to win stuffed toys. It was kind of like they were needy people in hope for some cash.

"I'm glad," he replied. "So do you want anything?"

"You know what I want?"

"What?"

"I want you to play one of those games and get me a stuffed toy."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Isn't that what fairs are for?"

"I guess," he replied.

I pulled on his arm and lead him towards the basketball game. "Do this one," I ordered.

"Oh this is going to be easy," he replied.

I rolled my eyes at him and gave my attention to the middle aged man in charge of the booth.

"This man right here wants to play."

"Good choice. Is this for you, sweetie?" he asked. I nodded and elbowed Nathan in the rib. "Alright. The rules to the game are to get twenty shots in a row in order to receive the biggest stuffed toy."

"Is that too hard for you?" I asked Nathan politely.

"Nah, I can do it, give me a ball," Nathan replied. The man tossed him a soft orange basketball ball. I noticed Nathan straightening his form and targeting the basket that was just a few feet away from him.

"Don't strain yourself," I joked.

"I won't," he replied. "So which stuffed toy do you want?"

"I want the . . ." I started scanning the shelf of stuffed toys and immediately spotted the bear with the basketball jersey. "I want that one. It reminds me of you."

"Alright, I'll get it."

"You better."

"Whenever you're ready," the man stated. Nathan gave me a wink before he started shooting the baskets. I was pretty impressed when I noticed that he wasn't missing any of the shots. They weren't kidding about him being a basketball all-star in high school. He was pretty good. He got all of them without any effort. It was like he was some kind of basketball wizard.

Fifteen shots later. "You need just five more shots and you'll be able to get the bear for your little lady here," the man stated.

"Come on, you can do it, Nate!" I cheered.

While he was about to finish his last shots, I looked out to the crowd and found a familiar face approaching us with a not so happy expression. I watched as she came closer and closer, but I decided to look away and focus on Nathan's game. He shot three more shots, and I was getting really anxious.

"I only have one more to go after this one and that bear will be yours, Hales," Nathan stated, tossing the little orange ball through the hope.

"Just one more, son and you win!" the man cried out.

I was crossing my fingers as Nathan straightened his form and eyed the goal. I looked beside us and noticed that Zoey was on the other side of him. As soon as Nathan threw the ball, Zoey shoved him on the shoulder causing him to miss the winning shot.

"HEY!" Nathan called out.

"Why did you just leave me last night?" Zoey asked, her eyes furrowed.

"You made me lose the shot," Nathan replied. I could tell that he was upset about not making the winning goal. It wasn't his fault. If only that stupid Zoey didn't come crashing in.

"Too bad," she replied. "That's what happens when you leave me hanging."

"I apologize for that, okay. I had something to do last night."

"Like what? Her?" Zoey asked, glaring at me.

"Look, she wasn't feeling too well so I had to bring her home. Again, I apologize for not calling or telling you," Nathan explained. I could see Zoey's nostrils flare at the sight of me and slowly focused back to Nathan. Suddenly her expression softened and smiled.

"Well then you can make it up by spending the rest of evening with me," she suggested.

"I can't," he replied.

"Why?"

"I'm kind of spending it with Haley."

"Ugh," she complained. "You know what, when you're done messing with her. You know my number." She quickly turned away and disappeared into the crowd. I really wanted to strangle her right now. Isn't it obvious that Nathan would rather be with me than her?

As soon as she left, Nathan turned to me and placed his hands on my arms. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get you the bear."

"It's okay," I replied. "It's not your fault."

"Are you sure? I could try again if you want me to."

"No, let's just go get something to eat," I suggested, a little disappointed.

"Wait!" We both were about to walk away from the booth until the man stopped us. "I noticed that that lady messed you up, so I'm going to give you the stuffed toy anyways. You were pretty close, so you deserve it."

"Really?" I asked. The man let out a jolly laugh and reached over to grab the jersey wearing bear. He gave it to Nathan and then Nathan gave it to me.

"Thank you, sir," Nathan stated.

"No problem. You two have a nice evening."

"You too," we both said. I held the bear close to me like a little girl and looked up at Nathan. He looked so happy to see me smile.


End file.
